Of Iced Tea and Chocolate Cake
by tennesseegirl
Summary: Miley and Oliver are dating, but when cousin Bobbi Sue shows up, it throws their relationship into a crazy spin. And when is Lilly going to admit she likes Jackson? Sequel to Of Egg Rolls and Marshmallows MxO LxJ
1. Chapter 1

This is the sequel to Of Egg Rolls and Marshmallows. It's not necessary to read the first part, but doing so might make this one a little more enjoyable.

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Part One 

"Oliver, you are the worst putt-putt player I've ever seen."

"Really?" He grinned and saluted me with his golf club.

I crossed my arms. "You're not even _trying_. I could win this game blindfolded with one hand tied behind my back and really bad music playing through my earphones. And let's not underestimate how distracting bad music can be."

"Now don't go getting your feathers all ruffled, Miles." Oliver slung an arm around my shoulder. "I'm just getting warmed up. Watch this shot. I bet I can bounce this ball off that rock, hit it in the air, and send it rolling down that hill for a hole in one. What do you think?"

I squinted at the rock, my brow creased doubtfully. "Yeah, right. If you make that shot, I'll buy you another hot dog _and_ a snow cone."

"And if I miss?"

"You have to stop acting like a four-year-old and start trying to beat me."

"You're on."

He took his sweet time warming up. He stretched and flexed his muscles, pretended to assess the terrain, took a few practice swings. When he started meditating, I bopped him on the head.

"Hurry up! I could play the rest of the course faster than this!"

He set his ball on the fake grass and readied his club. A gathering of five or six people stood watching, including a little girl with an ice cream cone. Either they were waiting their turn, or they found Oliver's antics amusing.

"Stand back, my friends, and prepare to be amazed. Smokin' Oken's about to dazzle you with a feat of impossible odds."

"Mommy, what's a Smokin' Oken?" the girl asked.

"Not now, honey."

Oliver sent the ball whizzing down the greenway. It bounced off the rock and took flight. Oliver caught the edge of it in the air with his golf club, but instead of landing on the ground and rolling down the hill, it ricocheted off the giant pinwheel and spun back toward the onlookers.

Oliver jumped to intercept it and lost his footing. He tumbled into the shallow waters of a gurgling frog fountain.

And the yellow golf ball plopped right down on top of the little girl's ice cream cone.

She started crying.

I couldn't help it. I laughed. I _knew_ Oliver wouldn't make that shot.

The girl's parents gave me an evil eye and moved ahead of us. Her two older brothers thought that was the funniest thing they'd seen all night. They chanted for Oliver to do it again – until their father yelled at them.

"If you kids don't get over here now, I'm gonna stuff grits and green worms down yer throats fer dinner!"

I wondered fleetingly if he was from Tennessee, too.

After they left Oliver looked up at me apologetically. "I'm really bad at this game, aren't I?"

I rolled my eyes. "Ya think?"

"My head hurts." He rubbed it. "I think I hit the frog leg."

"The frog leg is six feet away." I leaned over and took his hand. "Your head only hurts because you've used it so little tonight."

His lips twitched mischievously.

"And don't you _dare_ pull me in with you, or I'll give your head a _real _reason to hurt."

I helped Oliver out of the fountain. He was soaked from head to toe, but we were having too much fun to quit now.

"Where's my golf ball?"

"Goldilocks has it over there." I pointed to the little girl. "Eww…is she _licking _the ice cream off of it?"

Oliver's nose wrinkled. "Never mind, she can keep it. Let's share yours."

We played through most of the course without incident. I got three holes-in-one, and Oliver steadily improved until he finally made a shot that didn't end up hidden in the grass, stuck in a bush, or floating in the water. Finally we came to the fated hole 22.

I stared at it. "Every time I play miniature golf, something bad happens at hole 22."

Oliver scoffed. "Sure it does."

"No, I'm serious. Last time I clubbed Jackson in the eye and he couldn't open it for three days. The time before that Lilly got stung by a bee. The time before that it started pouring and I ruined my new shoes." I checked each instance off on my fingers.

Oliver was still unconvinced. "I'm taller than Jackson so you won't hit me in the eye. I don't see any bees anywhere. And –" he glanced at my feet – "would it really be so bad if you ruined those shoes?"

I gasped and covered his mouth with my hand. "How dare you diss my shoes in a public place! That's an insult to the entire female race! I should break up with you for that!"

He lowered his head and mumbled beneath my hand. "Sorry."

It was dark now, and we had only the colored lights to illuminate our path. I placed my green golf ball on the turf cautiously. I scanned my surroundings.

"Hurry up, I'm getting hungry." Oliver leaned against his club.

I took a swing. My ball scurried precisely toward the hole, and stopped a foot away. Pleased with myself, I hopped down to the end to hit it in.

Something flew into my face. Yelping, I brushed it away. I looked around to see what it was, but the air was clear. I shuddered and lined up my next shot, but before I could swing, more of those fluttery things attacked my face.

"Ah!" I threw my golf club down and jumped back to Oliver, batting the air with my hands.

He laughed at me. "Oh, stop being a baby. They're just moths."

Indeed they were. Big, ugly, brown moths were fluttering around under the lights.

"I hate bugs." I hid behind Oliver, peering at them over his shoulder. "You go first."

He puffed his chest out. "You just wait here, Miles. I'll show you how it's done."

He marched bravely down to rescue my ball and club and bring them back. "See? No problem."

I watched skeptically.

He was halfway back when the moths swarmed around him. They were fierce little things, diving right into him as if to run him out of their space. He whacked at them with my golf club and shook his head to scare them away.

"I have a right to be here!" He fought harder. "I paid eight dollars and fifty cents to be in this spot. You're gonna have to take your little mothy get-together somewhere else! Ha! Take that!"

They grew in number. Finally Oliver raced back to me, grabbed my hand, and dragged me to the other side. I screamed as we ran through the sea of moths. We didn't stop until we were several holes away.

"Whew, that was close." Oliver pulled me behind the lighthouse. "They almost got us."

I laughed and leaned against him. "Was the little boy scared of the little moths?"

"Hey, those were _big_ moths!"

I brushed one out of his hair. "Oliver, that was very gallant of you to rescue me."

"Thank you." He pushed me gently against the lighthouse and kissed me.

Mmm-hmm, yup. Definitely still tingly, light-headed, heart-racing stuff going on there. How he could still do that to me after seven months, I had no idea.

"Haven't you always wanted to make out on a miniature golf course?" I asked as he kissed along my neck.

He lifted his head. "You mean with all the little kids running around and the cute plastic animals watching us?"

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe we should stop."

"No…" He closed his mouth over mine with impressive determination. I indulged myself a little. I mean, hey, what girl wouldn't?

"Mommy, how come my ball won't come out the other side?"

Oliver and I broke apart and looked at each other. It was dark. Maybe they wouldn't see us and we could just slip away….

"Hey, Mister. You're in the way." The little girl pushed Oliver's leg.

I glanced down and saw the yellow golf ball trapped between the lighthouse and Oliver's shoe.

"That's _my_ ball." Oliver picked it up.

The girl started crying again.

"Okay, okay, never mind, you can have it." He put it back down.

"What're you doin' messin' with my kid?" The dad towered over us.

"Good Lord, what are you two doing back here? You're corrupting our children." The mom covered her daughter's eyes. "I swear I don't know why they let teenagers come here unsupervised. They never behave themselves."

Oliver and I took our cue to leave.

When we got back to his car we were laughing. "Oliver, we are so bad."

"I had a dream like this once." He leaned against the car door. "Except it was bowling instead of putt-putt and the little girl was a mean little boy who kept throwing ice cubes at me. But he had two mommies, so I understood."

"Boy, what _do _you eat before you go to bed?" I ruffled his hair. "Was I in your dream, too?"

"Yes, but you were Hannah and you were signing autographs on pink bowling balls."

"Was I wearing a cute outfit?"

"I don't remember if it was cute, but it was definitely sparkly."

I thought about it for a minute. "I guess I can roll with that. Let's go."

We stopped for cheesy fries and cokes on the way home. I loved sitting next to Oliver in his mom's old car, listening to the radio and talking. Well, joking around more than talking. Let me just say, when Oliver Oken is your boyfriend, fun comes with almost a one hundred percent guarantee. We hadn't been on a laughless date yet.

We strolled in through the front door of my house. Lilly was coming down the stairs at the same time and when she saw us, she smiled. "Hey, Miley, do you have a hammer?"

"You were looking for one in my bedroom?" I lifted an eyebrow.

She shrugged. "It seemed like a logical place. What if a burglar comes in and you need something to hit him with? Or what if there's a fire and you need to break out your window? Or what if -"

I clamped a hand over her mouth. "Or what if the bed monsters come out and I need to make loud noises to scare them away. I get it."

"So you have one, then?" Lilly asked hopefully.

Oliver leaned forward. "I think that was a no."

Lilly pouted. "Well, then I'll keep looking." She began rummaging through the kitchen drawers.

"Why do you need one?" I followed after her, closing the drawers she left open.

"Because we're building the world's coolest tree house, of course," she said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"_We_?" I asked.

"Well, it was Jackson's idea, but I think it'll be fun."

Lovely. My almost-eighteen-year-old brother was building a tree house with my best friend. There was no way this could possibly turn out good.

"If only we could find a hammer..." Lilly sighed.

"Doesn't Mr. Stewart have a whole shed full of tools?" Oliver asked.

"Yes, but he locked it up and said Jackson wasn't allowed inside."

I nodded. "After the weed whacker incident last month, Jackson was banned from the tool shed."

"Oh, so _that's _why the back door is dented and the garden hose is all chopped up," Oliver mused.

I took Lilly's hand off the refrigerator door. "Lilly, think about what you're doing. People don't keep hammers in the refrigerator."

"My mom does," Lilly insisted. "Whenever the refrigerator starts making weird noises, she bangs it with the hammer and it stops."

I rolled my eyes. "This is crazy. We don't have a hammer in there. You're gonna have to have to find something else to hit nails with."

Jackson walked in through the back door then. He was wearing overalls, a bandana, and protective glasses. He had a two-by-four in one hand and an electric ruler in the other. "So I found the perfect place to put this baby." He laid the two-by-four on the kitchen counter.

"Where?" Lilly inspected the wood.

"That tree right behind the spot where Dad keeps the garbage can."

"But wouldn't that get stinky?" she protested.

"The only other place is right outside Miley's window -"

"And you are _not _building it there," I finished for him. Sweet niblets! I knew I'd regret the day Jackson discovered a two-by-four!

Robbie Ray came down the stairs with his guitar, humming a tune. He set the guitar down on its stand, walked past us, and fished through the refrigerator for a piece of pie. It wasn't until he turned around again that he noticed the two-by-four on his counter.

Jackson opened his mouth to explain.

"Don't say anything," Robbie interrupted. He uncovered the pie and stuck a fork into it. "I haven't decided yet if I want to know what you're up to."

"Aww, Dad." Jackson clapped him on the shoulder. "What father and son haven't spent time together building the world's coolest tree house?"

"The kind whose son don't know how to use a hammer without banging up everything the good Lord created around him."

"Come on, Dad, I haven't hurt you yet."

Robbie ate a mouthful of his pie. "Son, I'll give you five seconds to get that two-by-four away from my new marble counters, or I'll use it on you the way my daddy used it on me when I broke Grandpa George's tobacco pipe."

Jackson shrunk away from Robbie. He caught the two-by-four under his arm and with a nervous smile backed away. "You won't be seein' this baby anywhere near your counters, Dad." He disappeared out back.

Robbie swallowed another mouthful of pie. "Guess who I just got done talkin' to on the phone, Bud?"

Oh, no. He was using his 'you don't really want to know' voice. I cringed and hid behind Oliver. "Please not Luann. Please not Luann. Please not Luann..."

"Not Luann." Robbie found the milk and poured himself a glass. "Luann's sister, Bobbi Sue. She's coming to Malibu for the Pony Club championships and asked if she could stay with us."

"Bobbi Sue!" I exclaimed, jumping up and down.

Oliver and Lilly exchanged glances. "Uh...is this a good thing?" Lilly asked.

"It's a _great_ thing! Bobbi Sue is the coolest, smartest, most fun cousin in the world. She's eighteen and she completely rocks. I haven't seen her since I moved here. Oh! I can't wait!"

Oliver winced. "Can you please stop squeezing my arm when you happy dance? We've been over this..."

I let go of him. "When's she coming, Daddy?"

"Tomorrow morning. Bright and early." He downed the milk from his glass in one long swig. "So you'd best get up to your room and make all that clutter disappear."

I grabbed Oliver by the wrist. "Come on, you can help me."

He followed reluctantly. "You're not gonna make me organize your makeup again, are you?"

"Of course not. _That _was a disaster. This time you can sort all my shoes by color and line them up in my closet."

"Oliver's going to be staying _out_ of your closet," Robbie said calmly, waving his fork. "Remember, keep your door wide open. And when you think it's wide enough, open it some more."

Geez, did he not trust us or something?

I spent all night cleaning and reorganizing my room. I wanted it to be spotless for Bobbi Sue. Out of all my cousins, she was the one I loved the most. We were going to have a blast this week. I could hardly wait.

Dad wasn't kidding when he said bright and early. The doorbell rang the next morning at quarter after six. I was still in my PJ's, but I raced down the stairs with a grin the size of Texas and swung open the door.

Bobbi Sue stood before me, a flawless, polished gem. Her bleached blond hair was pulled up on her head and she wore the cutest little yellow spaghetti-strap dress I'd ever seen. Her yellow open-toed heels were my new idols. She was beautiful, and I worshipped at her feet.

"Miley, you adorable creature!" She air-kissed both my cheeks. "I will never forgive you for leaving me all alone in that dreadful state. The things I have suffered! The endless pig-pickin's and tailgate parties. The line-dancing in cow pastures. Oh, it is _so _good to finally be among civilized people." She adjusted her sun glasses over her head. "I was born to live in a place like this."

I smiled at her. I was too bewitched to talk.

"Wow, look at this place." She walked through the living room, leaving a waft of deliciously scented perfume behind her. "Very modern, very Californian. It screams, 'I've got money, but I don't want you to know it.'"

I followed after her, happy to be in her presence. Didn't I say she was the coolest cousin ever? Not only did she talk in complete sentences and dress like she was about to step onto the red carpet, but she actually had some class.

"So where's Uncle Robbie and Jackson?" Her heels clicked rhythmically as she walked through the kitchen. She peered into the sink and ran a finger along the counter. "I'm impressed. Two men in the house, and the kitchen is spotless."

"Well, you know my Dad," I managed to squeak. What was _wrong _with me?

"Really?" She picked up an apple from the fruit basket and inspected it. "I would've thought he'd be married again by now. Mind if I eat this? I'm starved. I've been on a plane all night and they didn't have any snacks under a hundred calories, even though I was flying first class."

"Go ahead."

She bit into it. "Oh yes, this is perfect. You're a doll, Miles."

Robbie Ray strolled down the stairs, followed by a mussy-haired Jackson.

"Uncle Robbie!" She dropped her apple on the counter and ran to kiss his cheek.

"Good to see you again, Bobbi Sue. How's your daddy doin'?"

"Oh, not well at all. He looks terrible." She kissed Jackson's cheek. "And aren't you just cuter than ever?"

Jackson scowled at her. I wondered if he was still mad about the time she accidentally locked him in the outhouse on Christmas Day. We'd already finished the turkey dinner before we realized he was missing - and there weren't any leftovers. Not with Uncle Earl there.

"Jackson, would you be a doll and grab my bags out of the taxi?" She smiled sweetly, then turned back to me. "Miley dear, we are going to have so much fun together. I have the whole week planned out. Of course we'll have to adjust based on your after-school activities and my show schedule, but at least we'll have a basic plan."

I basked in her glow. Jackson gave her an evil glare and muttered under his breath as he went to fetch her bags. Robbie started fixing breakfast.

Oh, I could hardly contain my excitement. This was going to be the most amazing week of my life.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews! Ya'll are so sweet!

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Part Two 

"Nine out of ten people who drink iced tea are smarter than those who don't," Bobbi Sue said. She swirled the ice cubes around in her glass with a straw.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"I'm not sure exactly. I think it has something to do with phytochemicals." She took a long sip.

We were sitting under a big umbrella on the beach, watching the waves and drinking iced tea. This was the life.

Bobbi Sue took out her daily planner. "Now, the first thing we have to do is find the nearest mall and buy ourselves some cute new clothes. My treat. And then -" She flipped to the next page. "Pedicure and manicure. I think one of my nails is chipping off."

"I know the perfect place," I said, bubbling with excitement. "I went there last week when I was Hannah."

She inspected my hand. "Yes, but look what they did to your nails. We'll have to go somewhere else."

I didn't point out that my nails only looked that way because they were _real._

"Gypsy won't be here until tomorrow," she went on, "so we have all day to play. If we head out to the mall after lunch, we'll be back in time for a late dinner. What do you think?"

What did I think? I thought she was the coolest person I had ever known, times ten. "Sounds great!"

Bobbi Sue nodded and scribbled something in her planner. "Excellent."

"Who's Gypsy?" I asked after a moment.

"She's my Dutch Warmblood mare. She's gorgeous. Dark bay, seventeen hands. Sweetest temperament. You have to meet her."

I didn't understand anything she just said, but whatever. It sounded like fun. "Sure."

I glanced out toward the water and spotted Oliver jogging up the beach. He zipped right past us on his way to my house, and didn't even notice us sitting under the umbrella. I called his name.

"Hey, is that you under there, Miles?" He turned around and peered under the umbrella.

I guess it was an honest mistake. I don't usually sit under an umbrella wearing sun glasses and drinking iced tea with my very hip older cousin.

"Hey, Oliver. This is Bobbi Sue." I nodded toward her. "Bobbi Sue, Oliver."

"Oh, call me Bobbi." She gave Oliver a polite smile and then went back to writing in her planner. She didn't look up again.

Oliver shrugged. "So Miles, my grandma is coming over for dinner and guess what she's bringing with her?"

"Her yappy hairless poodle?"

"Nope. Even better." He rubbed his stomach. "Her famous prize-winning chocolate cake."

I had yet to taste his grandma's famous chocolate cake, but Oliver couldn't stop raving about it whenever she came for a visit, so I figured it must be all that.

"You're not gonna do that chocolate cake rap like you did last time, are you?" I lifted my sun glasses and looked up at him.

"No, you're right. That one's so ninth grade. I'll make up a new one." He started thinking.

"Yeah, you do that. But do it _waaay_ over there." I pointed down the beach.

"Okay." He nodded agreeably, then realized what I'd said. His mouth dropped open. "Hey!"

"Oh, I remember you now." Bobbi Sue finally looked up. "You're the guy Luann told me about. She had a crush on you when she was here."

"Really?" Oliver's eyes widened.

I cleared my throat.

"I mean, whatever." He crossed his arms nonchalantly.

I gave him a well-deserved scowl, then turned to Bobbi Sue. "What's Luann up to these days, anyway?"

"Oh, you know. Daddy sent her off to boarding school after she set the bathroom on fire. I haven't seen her since last Christmas, but I hear she's doing well. As well as someone of _her _temperament can possibly be, of course." She took another sip of her iced tea.

Oliver stepped toward me. "So Miles, you want to come over tonight and try some of my grandma's famous chocolate cake?"

"I do, but..." I hesitated. "I haven't seen Bobbi in so long and I was really looking forward to hanging out with her today. But could you save me a slice?" I smiled hopefully.

If he was crushed, he didn't show it. He just shrugged and looked away. "Sure, okay. I'll catch you later?"

"Yeah."

When he was gone Bobbi Sue looked over at me with raised eyebrows. "So is _that _your friend?"

The way she said it confused me. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just...he doesn't seem like someone you'd be friends with."

"Why not?" My voice rose in pitch. "What's wrong with Oliver?"

"Oh, come now, don't fret." She patted my knee. "It's all right. It's not like you're dating him or anything."

I felt my throat tightening, and it took a great deal of effort to speak. "I _am _dating him."

"Oh!" Bobbi Sue gasped. She looked something very close to horrified. "I had no idea! This changes everything!"

"How so?" I felt a little queasy.

"Well, I have to be honest. I always pictured you with a blond. Blonds and brunettes have especially good relationships. They last twice as long as couples with the same color hair."

"_What?_" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She had to be joking. "You don't think I should date Oliver because his _hair _is brown?"

"Oh, it's not just that. I would never discriminate based on hair color alone. I just would have thought you'd be with someone a little more mature, that's all."

"More _mature_?"

"He has a rather boyish quality to him, don't you think? You're almost sixteen, Miley. You need a real man."

"But I like Oliver." I didn't know what was happening, but I felt strangely close to tears.

"Of course you do, honey," she crooned. "Letting go of childhood is a painful process. But I'm here to help you."

I didn't know what to say. I liked my life the way it was. I was happy with Oliver. But Bobbi Sue was smart and she had way more experience than me. What if she was right? What if Oliver wasn't mature enough for me? What if I never grew out of my childhood? I didn't want to act like a fifteen-year-old forever!

I heard grunting and heavy footsteps coming from somewhere behind us, followed by a voice that sounded suspiciously like Lilly's.

"I mean, so what if she's pretty?" she was muttering to herself. "Why do guys care so much if a girl is pretty? I bet she's not half as much fun as _me_. I bet she can't hammer a nail into a piece of wood. I bet she can't do cool tricks on a skateboard. And you know what, I can be pretty darn pretty when I want to be!"

Lilly stormed around our umbrella and saw me. "Hi, Miley." She plopped down next to me and sighed.

"Lilly, this is my cousin Bobbi Sue."

Lilly glanced over at her. Her eyes were clouded, but as she took in all of Bobbi Sue's glory, a shy smile broke out on her face. "Oh, hi! I like your dress."

Bobbi Sue ran a finger along her shoulder strap. "It's a lucky find, isn't it?" She smiled at Lilly. "Now here's a smart little thing. Nice to meet you. It's Lilly, right?"

"That's me." She sighed again.

"What were you moaning about back there?" I asked.

She waved a hand. "Oh, it's nothing. Jackson just won't shut up about this girl he met at Rico's this morning. She's pretty, she's smart, she has a cool car...blah blah blah."

Bobbi Sue watched her curiously.

"Short story," I explained to my cousin, "Lilly has a crush on Jackson."

Lilly gasped. "I do _not_!"

"And she's in denial." I patted Lilly's head.

Bobbi Sue nodded knowingly. "I see..."

"I do _not _like Jackson," Lilly insisted. A bloom of color rose to her cheeks. "Why do you _always_ accuse me of that? I only hang out with him because you're always off with Oliver."

"Not true! I call you all the time to hang out with us and it's always Jackson this, Jackson that. Last week you skipped fifth period to help him search through the cafeteria garbage can to find his cell phone. You smelled horrible all afternoon and I had to sit right behind you."

Lilly opened her mouth to protest, but I cut her off. "And last night you went from door to door asking people if they'd let you borrow a hammer. Think about it, Lilly. You're at my house more now than you were when _we_ were friends."

"I am _not._" She made a face.

Bobbi Sue watched us with an amused expression. "Aren't you two adorable? Let's calm down now and see if we can't work through this rationally. Lilly, if you like Jackson and he hasn't noticed you yet, there's a sure fire way to steal his heart."

Lilly pursed her lips together. "I _don't _like Jackson."

This was totally unfair. Was Bobbi Sue honestly going to be supportive about this? How was Jackson in any way more acceptable as a boyfriend than Oliver?

"Why is Lilly allowed to date a guy with the same color hair, but I'm not?" I demanded.

"Well, that's simple. Jackson has little hope for the future, and this might be his best chance at happiness." She swirled her ice cubes again. "Now, Lilly, listen closely. The best way to get any guy's attention is to show him that you are an intelligent, educated woman. Read a lot, quote interesting facts, dress like you've already been to college and know a lot about the world. Dazzle him with your superior mind. It's a tried and true turn on." She smiled proudly. "That's how I won _my _man."

I rolled my eyes. "That's silly."

"Well, believe what you want, but I've never seen it fail." Bobbi Sue rolled her ankle round and round, showing off her perfectly tanned foot.

"I _don't _like Jackson," Lilly repeated.

"If you say that one more time," I hissed in her ear, "I'm going to get up right now and go _tell _him you like him."

"You _wouldn't_!" Her eyes grew very round.

"Ladies, ladies," Bobbi Sue interrupted. "Let's not ruin a perfectly delicious glass of iced tea on a perfectly delightful morning. We're all friends, aren't we? Lilly, have some iced tea. It'll make you smarter."

Bobbi Sue, Lilly, and I spent the afternoon at the mall. A half hour in and I had completely forgotten that Bobbi Sue disapproved of Oliver. She was by far the most fun person I had ever shopped with. She knew all the hottest styles, all the fashion no-no's, and she had her daddy's credit card. I didn't bother to ask if she could afford to buy us all new outfits; she didn't seem too concerned about it herself.

It was well after dark when I finally parted with my dear cousin and snuck down to Rico's to find Oliver. He was leaning against the counter trying on sun glasses.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"I need some new shades. What do you think of these?" He turned toward me with a lopsided grin.

"I think they make you look like you're in the Mafia."

"Really? That would be cool."

"Not if your mom was on the job and she caught you strolling down the street wearing them."

Oliver shuddered and took them off. "Good point."

"What happened to your old ones?"

"My brother flushed them down the toilet because I accidentally stepped on his Lego giraffe." He looked down sadly. "I didn't do it on purpose. Bruno was in the way."

I patted his shoulder. "Oliver, you have such a sad home life. Try these." I handed him a new pair.

He slid them on, then lowered them slyly to check me out.

"Nice." I nodded. "But don't try that move on anyone else, okay?"

"You got it." He pushed them back up.

"Hey, are you gonna pay for that?" Rico popped up from behind the counter. He had whipped cream around his mouth.

I didn't really want to know why.

Oliver placed a twenty dollar bill down on the counter. "There you go, Rico. Freshly minted with only one crease."

Rico inspected it. He held it up to the light, sniffed it with his nose, then ran it through some kind of scanner. "You're five cents short," he concluded.

"What? The sign says twenty dollars." Oliver pointed to said sign.

"Yes, it's twenty dollars plus an authenticity verification charge."

"Dishonest salesman say _what_?" I asked, hands on my hips.

"I have to verify that your twenty dollar bill is authentic," he explained. "Two days ago, I was cheated. Someone gave me a counterfeit."

"Why is that _our_ problem?" I demanded.

"Because I don't trust either of you. There will be a five cent charge for every transaction. Pay up, or drop the shades."

Oliver dug through his pockets. "I don't have a nickel."

"Don't give him any more money. This is ridiculous!" I grabbed Rico by the collar. "Drop the verification charge, or I'll climb over this counter and -"

"I found a nickel!" Rosalita popped up from behind the counter. She had whipped cream all over her face, too.

Now I _really_ didn't want to know.

"Fine. I'll let it slide this time." Rico gave us both a slitty-eyed glare. "But next time, don't come over here if you can't pay up."

Oliver and I dismissed his warning and headed down the beach. The temperature was dropping and I felt goosebumps on my bare arms. I loved the beach at night. You could hear and feel the waves more than see them, and if the night was clear enough, you could look up and admire the stars.

"So what are you doing out here?" Oliver asked as we walked.

"Bobbi is at the gym working out, and she didn't invite me to go with her."

Oliver scoffed. "And here I thought it was because you couldn't last a day without me."

"Well, that too." I rubbed my arms. "Oliver, she's tireless. We shopped for five hours straight, then spent another two at the salon. We tried on dozens of outfits and walked at least ten miles. My feet hurt."

I stopped mid-stride and sat down on the sand. I slid my shoes off, then let my toes wiggle through the warm sand. Oh yes, much better.

I lifted my gaze and caught Oliver watching me. He had an intrigued, admiring look on his face, and it made me blush.

"What?" I asked.

He smiled. "I'll be right back. Don't move."

I shrugged and played in the sand. Ten minutes later he returned carrying his video camera and a piece of chocolate cake.

"Oooh, is that for me?" I clasped my hands together.

"Yup, I saved you the last piece."

I devoured the cake. It was, indeed, the most delicious chocolate cake I'd ever tasted. If Oliver had started rapping right then, I might have joined in.

I was almost done when I noticed Oliver was recording me. "Hey...what're you doing?"

"Nothing."

I dipped my finger into the chocolate frosting and drew myself a moustache. Oliver laughed.

"Now listen up, young man," I said in a deep, sophisticated voice. "You put that camera down right now. It's not polite to tape a lady when she's eating."

I reached out to grab his arm but he backed away. Determined to catch him, I stood up - and tripped over a hole I'd dug with my heel.

"Oh, you are in _so_ much trouble." I jumped up and tried to steal the camera from Oliver. "Turn it off! Erase that part! You are not allowed to have evidence of me falling over myself."

I tripped again, but this time I caught Oliver's arm and brought him down with me. We both laughed, and he tried to get up again, but I grabbed his wrist and held him down. We lay there on our backs in the sand, staring up at the sky. There were no stars, but the moon glowed beneath the clouds.

Bobbi Sue was wrong. She had to be. How could Oliver be less mature than me if I was having as much fun as he was right now?

I turned my head and looked at him. He was holding the camera up, recording us. I smiled into it, and then he turned it off and set it aside.

For a long moment neither of us spoke.

"Miley?"

"Yeah?" I waited, holding my breath. This was a perfect opportunity for him to say something romantic.

"Wasn't that the best piece of chocolate cake you've ever had?"

I sighed. "Yes, Oliver. It was."

And maybe - just maybe - Bobbi Sue was right.


	3. Chapter 3

Part Three

Lilly dumped a whole stack of books onto the kitchen counter. "Whew! Those are heavy."

I watched her curiously as I bit into my apple. "What did you do? Dust off the books in your attic?"

"No. I got them at the library." She pulled one off the top and opened it.

"You never go to the library. You don't even have a library card."

"Yes I do," she said defensively. "I go to the library plenty of times. I like to read."

I rolled my eyes and checked out some of the titles. "_The Art of Building a Tree House. Tree Houses For Dummies. Inside a Tree House: Your Guide to Creative, Innovative Craftsmanship." _I looked up at Lilly. It took a great deal of effort not to laugh. "Are you serious?"

She lifted her chin. "Clearly it would be foolish to build the world's coolest tree house without some sort of plan for doing so. Look here." She pointed to a picture. "Isn't that a great design? Let's see...we'll need three half-inch thick planks of wood that are four feet long and six feet wide -"

I closed the book shut before she got any further. "Lilly, listen to yourself. You don't even like building stuff. Why would you want to read about it?"

She frowned at me and held the book to her chest. "Jackson needs help."

"Well, no kidding." I took another bite. "So far the tree house looks like some sort of cruel torturing device that's been mangled by a wild animal. You couldn't pay me to get up in that thing."

"Touche. Now if you'll excuse me..." She flipped her hair over her shoulders and marched out to the back porch.

I trailed after her. This was gonna be fun to watch.

Jackson was on the grass attempting to nail a two-by-four to a plank of wood. I say attempting, because his hammer looked like one of those plastic things you'd buy for your two-year-old's play workstation. Try as he might, he couldn't get the nail through the wood.

The situation was so pathetic, I could have cried.

"No good," Jackson muttered, tossing the nail behind him. "Hand me another one, would you?"

It was then that I noticed the squirrel with the crippled paw sitting beside the box of nails. Gimpy reached into the box and picked up a nail. He bounded over to Jackson, who held out his hand. But instead of dropping the nail in his hand, Gimpy turned up his nose and ran off with it.

"Well, are you gonna help or not!" Jackson yelled after him. "Dang squirrel!"

Yes, seven months and eighteen stitches later, Jackson and Gimpy had finally come to an understanding. Sort of.

Lilly kneeled down next to Jackson. "I have an idea. I found this really cool book with instructions. See here, isn't that a spiffy-looking tree house?" She showed him the picture. "And I can make you some blueprints. The greatest carpenters always have blueprints."

The look on Jackson's face right now? Priceless.

"That's nice, Lilly. But real men can build a tree house instinctively." He reached for a new nail.

Lilly crossed her arms. "You mean your instincts are going to tell you whether to use a three inch wire spike or a half-inch finishing nail to secure the front panel?"

Woah...did she actually _read_ part of the book?

A little crease formed on Jackson's brow as he looked at Lilly. "A nail is a nail. And I'm gonna get _this _nail into _this _piece of wood if it takes me all day!" With a great deal of force he brought his hammer down on the nail.

The plastic snapped in two.

"Dang flabbit! I've had it! Enough of plan A! It's on to plan B." He stood up and brushed the grass off his pants.

"Is plan B to make some blueprints first?" Lilly followed him toward the back door. "Because I know all about tree houses and I can draw up some very handy sketches for you."

"No, plan B is to make myself a sandwich." He headed straight for the refrigerator.

"I can make it for you," Lilly offered. "I know the exact ratio of cheese to turkey that will stimulate all the proper taste buds. I learned it at my cooking class last summer."

Okay, Lilly _so _did not take a cooking class last summer.

"Well, what man can say no to that?" Jackson sat down in a chair and propped his feet up on the table. He folded his arms behind his head. "But no pickles. Ever since Rico dared me to eat a ten pound jar of them, I can't stomach the nasty little things."

"I think you would've been okay if you hadn't drunk all the pickle juice, too," I said.

"She's right." Lilly nodded. "Pickle juice is very acidic. It eats away at the mucus lining of your stomach. But it _does_ help relieve sore throats." She pondered that statement for a moment. "I _think_."

Okay, Lilly didn't seriously think Bobbi Sue's tried and true method for winning a man's heart would actually work on _Jackson_, did she?

As if conjured by my thoughts, Bobbi Sue walked in through the front door. She was wearing a very cool orange halter-top with khaki shorts. Her hair was perfectly curled on her shoulders and her makeup was flawless. You would never know she'd just spent the day at the barn.

"Miley, darling!" She breezed across the living room. "I have the most wonderful news! One of my teammates lives just a few miles north of here and she invited us out to her place tonight to ride. Isn't this exciting? We're going to have so much fun!"

She tossed her purse onto the counter. "Oh, Jackson! It's very unsanitary to put your shoes on the table. And Lilly, you're getting bread crumbs on the floor."

Jackson and Lilly both scowled at her.

"So you're saying that I can go riding with you tonight?" I asked excitedly. Yesterday I'd gone out with her to see Gypsy, but she wouldn't even let me pet the horse because my hand oils would ruin the gloss on her coat.

"You and anyone you want to come with you. But we have to leave soon so we can hit the trails before dark. I'm going up stairs to fix my hair. Be ready in thirty minutes."

I watched her go, wondering how her hair could be any more perfect than it already was.

"So you're coming, right?" I turned to Lilly.

She shook her head quickly. "Oh no. Me and horses, we don't get along."

"But you've never even ridden one before."

"No, but I had a really bad dream once." Her eyes darted nervously. "I ended up in a pile of manure with a horseshoe print on my forehead."

Jackson stood up. "Well, I'm in. I haven't been on a horse since that black and white pony Dad wouldn't let me keep."

"That's because your paper towel litter box wasn't big enough," I reminded him. "_And _because he ate all the rest of our Halloween candy."

"All the more reason why I should venture into the great outdoors and rediscover my Southern roots from the back of a good horse." He headed for the stairs. "I'm gonna find me a cowboy hat. Don't leave without me."

"I _so _did not invite you," I called after him.

His voice drifted down from the stairway. "You didn't, but Bobbi Sue did, and she's my cousin, too!"

"You don't even like her!"

"I do now!" He started humming a country Western tune. A moment later I heard his door click shut.

Lilly was making a mess with Jackson's sandwich. She had mayonnaise and ketchup everywhere.

"So that right there," I pointed to the sandwich, "is the exact combination of flavors to stimulate his taste buds? Or are you trying to stimulate his gag reflex?"

"Don't mock." Lilly squirted some mustard into the mix. "I make this sandwich all the time. It's very tasty."

I sighed. "Have fun then. I'm going to call Oliver."

An hour and a half later the four of us were riding horseback through the woods with Bobbi Sue and her new friend Lacey. The two Pony Clubbers rode up front, chatting about their chances at taking home the gold medal, while the rest of us rode farther behind.

"Come on, Rambo!" I heard Jackson grunting and kicking his stubborn little gray pony. "Just because you're smaller doesn't mean you can't keep up with the big guys. Live up to your name. Be intimidating. Let's show 'em what we can do."

I laughed. The sight of Jackson giving that little horse a pep talk was unbelievably comical. Especially considering he was wearing his cowboy hat.

"What's wrong, Jackson?" I teased. "Left your spurs at home?"

"I wouldn't need spurs if I had a big steed like Oliver."

"Dude, I can't slow this thing down." Oliver was pulling frantically on the reins. His gelding tossed his head and rolled his eyes. "If you want to trade, be my guest. Aaah!" He grabbed onto the mane as his horse side-stepped. "Miles, if all you wanted was to have an adventure, we could've gone rock-climbing or something."

"Oh, but this is much more fun." I patted my horse's neck. I didn't understand why everyone else was making such a fuss. _My _mount was plodding along steadily, nose stretched out, ears pricked forward, back swaying rhythmically. Daddy always said I was a natural, and I suppose he must've been right.

"Ouch!" Lilly yelped. "She bit me again!"

"She didn't bite you, Lilly," I said.

"Yes, she did. She turned her head right around, bared her teeth, and sank them into my boot." Lilly reached down to rub her foot. "And this saddle is itchy."

"My saddle is itchy, too," Jackson agreed. He kicked Rambo again.

"Woah, look out for the tree!" Oliver tried to steer his horse around it, but the gelding plowed right into it, squishing Oliver's leg between his belly and the tree trunk. "_Oww_!"

I winced. That must've hurt. "Oliver, when you wake up tomorrow and wonder why you're still my boyfriend, remember that I'm _really _good at making things up to you."

He cast me a dirty look over his shoulder. "And how are you gonna make it up to me that this horse just _broke _my leg, hmm?"

"Seven-fifty tomorrow morning, in front my locker. Be there. And brush your teeth."

"Yes ma'am."

Lilly let out a shriek. I glanced over and saw her clutching the pommel of her saddle with white knuckles. Her mare had stopped in the middle of the path and was shaking violently.

"Is she having a seizure?" Jackson asked.

"Whatever she's doing, make her stop!" Lilly cried.

Bobbi Sue and Lacey heard all the commotion and turned their horses around to see what was happening.

"Oh, she does that all the time when the flies are bad," Lacey explained. "Rambo chewed most of her tail off so she can't get rid of them any other way. Just sit still and she'll stop in a minute."

Lilly was deathly white. "I _hate _horses!"

"Rambo, _move!_" Jackson slapped his pony's behind.

And that was when he finally got to ride his big steed. Rambo did a little half buck and took off like a freight train. He barreled around the other horses and zoomed ahead of the pack. I lost sight of him through the trees, but I heard Jackson screaming for him to slow down.

We came around the next bend and found Jackson sitting miserably in the middle of a shallow creek. He spit out a mouthful of water and glared at us. Rambo was no where to be found.

Everyone except Lilly burst out laughing.

"Sorry," Lacey giggled. "I forgot to tell you he doesn't like anyone touching his rump."

Bobbi Sue clutched her stomach. "I know you can't do anything right, Jackson, but falling off a little pony?" She laughed harder. "He wasn't even going very fast."

"Yeah, he didn't even break into a canter," Lacey agreed.

"I guess it's a long walk back in wet clothes for you, cowboy." Bobbi Sue cued her horse to move across the creek. "Maybe you should stick to building that tree contraption thing with your little plastic hammer."

Okay, I know I said she's my favorite cousin, and I know I always make fun of my brother for being stupid - but what she said just now? Very un-cool.

Oliver tried to keep his gelding from jumping over the creek. "Jackson, you can ride this guy back if you want," he offered in a nervous voice. "I'd rather walk. Really, I would."

Seeing as his horse was spinning in circles, I believed him.

"No, it's okay." Lilly kicked her feet out of the stirrups and vaulted off her horse. She handed me the reins. "I'm through with horses. I'll walk back with you, Jackson."

He looked up at her, relief and gratitude washing over his face. It lasted only a moment, replaced all too soon by a look of malice as he eyed his cousin. But I had seen it, and for some strange reason, it touched me.

Lilly and Jackson turned to walk back to the barn, and I looked over at Oliver.

"Lilly's got it bad," he observed.

"I know."

"And you're okay with it?"

"Okay with what?"

"Lilly liking your brother. You don't think it's a little weird?"

I shrugged. "I did at first, but this has been going on for months, and I think I'm finally reconciled to the idea. Contrary to popular belief, I _do _care about my brother." I narrowed my eyes. "But don't you _dare _tell him that, or I'll tell everyone at school you fell into the frog fountain at the Putt-Putt Fun Center."

Oliver didn't have time for a witty comeback. His gelding shied at a blowing leaf and took off down the trail.

"Miley! Save me!"

I gathered my reins together and nudged my horse into a trot. "Come on, boy. Let's go rescue Oliver."

And off we went, Lilly's mare trailing along behind.

The car ride back to my house was understandably awkward. No one talked at all, and I wondered if I was the only one who'd had a smidgen of fun.

"So what do you guys think?" I asked cheerfully. "Aren't horses fun? We should do this again sometime."

Lilly avoided eye contact and muttered under her breath, Jackson crushed his cowboy hat in his hands, and Oliver put an arm around my shoulder.

"Rock-climbing, Miles. Next time we should all go rock-climbing."

That night, as Bobbi Sue and I were getting ready for bed, the truth came out.

"Miley, I hope this has been a very educational day for you."

I spit my toothpaste into the sink and rinsed. "What do you mean?"

"You are a complete natural on horseback, and everyone else, well..." She stroked her shiny hair with a brush. "You know."

"No, I don't know." I watched her through the mirror.

She put her brush down. "It's simple. You aren't like all of them. You're competent, smart, sophisticated. You're like me."

A compliment from Bobbi Sue was indeed a compliment. My cheeks burned under her gaze. "You think so?"

"Of course." She led the way back to my bedroom, and I followed. "You have so much potential. You just need a little guidance."

We sat down on my bed. "Like what?"

She hesitated a moment, biting her lip. "Well, Oliver, for starters."

"Oh, not this again." I started to get up, but Bobbi Sue caught my arm.

"Surely you can see how different you two are. You don't even like the same things. And after observing you today, I'm even more convinced that he isn't your intellectual equal. I really think you should reconsider where things are going with him."

I shrugged out of her grasp. "If you're trying to get me to break up with him, it's not going to work."

"You don't have to break up with him, not yet. Just let me help you look around. See what's out there. Maybe you'll find someone you like better."

"No!" I stared down at her angrily. "Stop talking about Oliver like he's worthless and dispensable! He's been my best friend for five years and I'm crazy about him and if you can't deal with that, then maybe _you _should reconsider!"

She sat patiently on my bed. Her calmness was maddening. I didn't want to be calm. I wanted to argue.

"Miley, don't you know I'm just trying to help you?" She spoke softly. "We're kindred spirits, and we have to look out for each other. Come, sit here." She patted the spot next to her.

I wanted to turn my back on her and walk away, but somehow I couldn't. I remembered all the times she had taken me under her wing, all the things she had taught me. I knew she cared about me, and despite our differences, I still adored her.

So I sat down.

Bobbie Sue smiled. "Let's not talk about this anymore tonight. You know what you need? A nice, refreshing glass of iced tea. Stay here, doll, and I'll get one for you."

She kissed the top of my head and left. I stared at the space where she'd been, wholly unsettled.

What was happening to me? Why did I even listen to her when I knew in my heart she was wrong?

With a deep sigh I flopped back against my pillow and waited for my glass of iced tea.

* * *

Stay tuned...plenty of Miley and Oliver goodness coming up. ;) And please keep reviewing! 


	4. Chapter 4

Part Four

"Are you going riding with Bobbi Sue tonight?" Lilly asked.

We were spread out on my bed doing Algebra II homework, and naturally we were doing more talking than problem-solving.

"No. Stable management judging starts tonight."

Lilly chewed on her pencil. "Does that mean you might actually have time to hang out with your best friend?"

I frowned. "What do you mean? We always hang out. We're hanging out right now."

"I know, but you've been riding every day this week. Between Bobbi and Oliver I never see you anymore."

Ugh. She was being all possessive of me again. "Lilly, it's just for this week. Bobbi is leaving in three days."

"She is?"

"Bright and early Monday morning, she's gone. Then my nights are all yours again. Well...you might have to share me with Oliver, but I'm sure an evening or two with Jackson will make you feel _much _better."

Lilly threw her pencil at me, but her smile said I was forgiven.

A loud bang reverberated through the house.

Lilly and I looked at each other.

"What was that?" Lilly asked.

"I dunno." I slid off my bed. "Let's go find out."

Jackson was in the living room. I half expected to find him with a big piece of wood in his hands, but instead he had moved the coffee table out of the way and was lifting weights.

_Lifting weights? _When did Jackson ever lift weights?

Lilly looked confused. "What are you doing?"

He was breathing hard. "Sorry, Lil. Can't talk now. Gotta work my biceps." He attempted two more reps, then dropped the weights.

The house shook again.

"Good grief, how much are you lifting?" I stooped down to inspect the weights. "Twenty-five pounds for each arm? Geez, no wonder you keep dropping them."

Lilly shook her head disapprovingly. "You shouldn't lift that much, Jackson. I've been reading about weight training and it's better to start lower and do more reps. And you should be wearing a back brace."

"For a dumbbell curl?" I raised an eyebrow.

She shrugged as if she didn't really know. "Jackson, you're standing all wrong. You have to keep your shoulders back and your elbows against your side." She walked up to him and pushed his shoulders back. "There."

He watched her warily, as if she was a strange creature that he couldn't figure out. It occurred to me then that there had probably never been another girl in his entire realm of experience that treated him this way.

"Okay," I said, interrupting them, "no one's asking the very obvious question. Why in Uncle Earl's name are you lifting weights, Jackson?"

"'Cause I'm getting in touch with my manliness." He flexed his arm proudly.

"But can't you do that with the tree house?" Lilly asked.

"Nope. I put the tree house on the back burner for now."

"But...why?" Lilly pouted.

He picked up the weights again. "'Cause you can't build anything without a hammer."

"But I told you my mom said we could borrow the one in my refrigerator."

"No thanks, Lil. I got muscle to burn and ladies to impress. Stand back. This could get dangerous." He labored through another set of reps.

Lilly looked heartbroken.

I opened by mouth to comfort her, but the door swung open and Bobbi Sue appeared behind it. She wore a glorious red dress that fell to just above her knees, and her diamond earrings glittered in the light.

"Miley, I'm so glad you're here. Guess who just flew all the way from Tennessee to watch me compete this weekend?" She reached behind her and pulled a tall young man into the living room. "This is my boyfriend Aidan."

He looked like one of those underwear models you'd see in a JC Penney's catalogue. Gorgeous, but completely generic. He had it all going for him: dark hair, blue eyes, perfect bone structure, and a ripped body. But as I shook his hand politely and he smiled down at me, I saw nothing there.

"I hope it's okay if he stays here for a couple nights," Bobbi Sue said. "You won't mind sleeping on the couch, will you, Miley?" She looked right at me.

"Uh..." How was I supposed to answer that? And where did she get the idea that I was okay with her and her boyfriend sleeping in my room?

"Thanks, you're a doll." Bobbi Sue pushed Aidan onto the living room chair and sat in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly.

It was almost embarrassing to stand there and watch them. They were all over each other. How was it that I could be so thoroughly repulsed and yet insanely jealous at the same time?

Aidan pulled back for a moment and reached into his pocket. He placed a small wrapped gift in Bobbi Sue's palm. She opened it to find a beautiful silver necklace with a dolphin in the center.

Bobbi Sue squealed. "Oooh! It's perfect! I love you _so _much!" She brushed her nose against his.

"I love you more." He kissed her.

Okay, I mean, I think dolphins are cute an all, but not _that _cute.

"You remembered Sea World," Bobbi Sue whispered.

"How could I forget?" He said it so seductively, I decided I really didn't want to know what happened at Sea World.

I cleared my throat. "So Bobbi, I thought they were judging stable management tonight."

She looked a little perturbed at my intrusion. "Oh, they are. But I don't help with that. That's the job for the stable hand. What's her name? Kacey, Katie, Keri? I don't remember."

Of course she didn't.

"Oh, Jackson!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad you took my advice. You look better already. How's it coming with that girl you like? Did you show her your biceps?"

Woah..._what_? Bobbi Sue was giving _Jackson _advice, too? And after she spent all that time trying to encourage Lilly?

I looked over at my friend. Lilly had gone very pale, and her eyes sparkled with tears.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, touching her arm.

She scoffed. "Of course I am." She plopped down onto the couch and grabbed a book off the end table.

I didn't believe her, but I knew she didn't want to talk about it.

Jackson announced that he was going to take a shower. After he left, Bobbi Sue and Aidan went back to their sweet romantic mutterings and not-so-innocent kisses.

I _so _should not be jealous of them.

And because things weren't interesting enough already, Oliver decided to show up.

"Yo I'm here to see my Miley, 'cause she's pretty and she's smiley, and we have fun all the timey, 'cause we're freaky freaky freaky freaky _tight_." He strolled up to me, kissed my cheek hastily, and headed for the kitchen.

The look Bobbi Sue gave me could've lit a pile of kindling on fire.

"You won't _believe _what my brother did today," Oliver said, opening the refrigerator door. "He ate the last piece of grandma's chocolate cake. I even wrote my name on it, _and _left a threatening message on the bathroom mirror."

I blinked at him. "Uh...hi Oliver."

"Hi, Miles," he said into the refrigerator. "Do you want half of my sandwich?"

What _was _it with guys and sandwiches?

"No, thanks. I thought you said you gave _me _the last piece of your grandma's cake."

"I did. This is a new cake. I told her she was my favorite grandma and she made me another one."

"Oliver, isn't she your _only _grandmother?" I walked up to him.

He plopped the bag of roast beef onto the counter. "Yeah, but she forgets that all the time. She and Grammy had this crazy rivalry thing going on. It was great at Christmastime. One year I got a new dirt bike _and _a trampoline."

I glanced over my shoulder at Bobbi Sue. She was watching us with a pair of hawk eyes. Aidan was kissing her neck.

Impulsively I stepped between Oliver and his sandwich and slid my arms up around his neck. "So...you wanna go upstairs and help me with one of my Algebra problems? It's _really_ hard." I leaned forward, poised to kiss him.

"Miley!" Bobbi Sue yelled.

I jumped back. "What?"

She smiled sweetly. "Sorry. Your shirt was about to touch the roast beef. Meat stains can be very hard to get out."

Yeah, whatever.

I grabbed Oliver's wrist. "Come on." I dragged him upstairs and into my room. He tried to protest but I put a finger to his lips and pushed him down onto my bed. I was about to climb on top of him when he sat up and took my hands in his.

"Woah, where's Miley and what have you done with her?"

"What?" I said impatiently. "You don't think I could seduce you if I wanted?"

I tried to kiss him but he held me at arm's length. "What's wrong with you? Your dad could walk in any minute."

"I don't care."

"Well _I _do. Because if we're caught making out on your bed, _I'm_ the one who's gonna get a fistful of Robbie Ray."

"Fine, then. Stand up if you want." I pulled him up and wrapped my arms around his waist. Again I tried to kiss him, and again he pushed me away.

"Miley, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Okay, that's not true. First you drag me away from my sandwich, then you throw me onto your bed, now you're suffocating me. I mean, not that I don't like it, but let's be honest, this isn't you. So what gives?"

I groaned in frustration. Did he _really _have to think so much right now? "Oliver, what's the big deal? I'm fine. We're dating. This is normal boyfriend-girlfriend behavior. Stop talking." I stretched up on my tip-toes.

Oliver shook his head. "Wait -"

"Good grief, boy, would you just kiss me?"

Oliver studied me, concerned. He touched my cheek. "You're just acting weird, that's all. Are you _sure _you're all right?"

His touch was calming, and I let out a long breath. "I'm sure. I'm sorry. I won't drag you away from your sandwich anymore."

"Well, you know, if it's the real Miley who's dragging me away, the sandwich can definitely wait."

My heart fluttered at the husky tone of his voice and the quiet, focused look in his eyes. His hand slid behind my neck and he lowered his lips to mine...

"Oh! Sorry to bother you, but I just had to get out of these heels. They're killing my feet." Bobbi Sue walked right into my room with her boyfriend in tow.

I could have wrung her neck.

"You don't mind if we use your room for a minute, do you? Aidan is exhausted after his flight and he needs to rest for a little bit." She tossed her heels onto to middle of the floor and sprawled out on my bed. "Ah...much better."

Aidan took his shoes off and joined her. Oh, no he didn't.

"Bobbi, does Aidan really have to stay here? There are plenty of nice hotels around."

Bobbi Sue looked hurt. She puffed out her lower lip. "Miley, darling, it won't be any inconvenience at all. And after I bought you all those new clothes, too."

Oh, crap. Now I felt guilty. "Fine. But it's still my room and you can't tell me to leave."

Oliver's arm tightened around my waist. "Miley, it's not worth it. Let's go."

"No, that was really rude of her to just barge in here."

Bobbi Sue slid off my bed. "Honey, I can see you're taking out all your pent up sexual frustration on me. It's okay, I forgive you. I understand." She glanced pointedly at Oliver. "But let's not let it ruin our evening, hmm? I was going to invite you to come to a party with me tonight."

A party? Bobbi Sue had never invited me to a grown up party before. When would I ever get another chance like this? And don't give me all that Hannah nonsense. This is completely different.

"Really?" I squeaked.

"That's right. Lacey's having a party at her house for all the Pony Clubbers, and she said I could invite you." She held up her cell phone. "And guess who I just chatted with on the phone? Your daddy said you could go, too."

Oh, I was finding it so hard to be mad at her right now. "Can Oliver come?"

She laughed. "Of course not. It's just for girls. Unless he wants to come do makeovers and have pillow fights with us. What do you think, Ollie?"

He looked disgusted. "No, thanks."

I touched Oliver's arm. "Do you mind if I go, then?"

He shrugged. "Whatever." If it bothered him, he didn't show it.

"Oh, thank you!" I squeezed his arm, then bounced over to Bobbi Sue, everything but her unmerited generosity in inviting me to a party forgotten. "When do we leave?"

"In an hour. And I have just the perfect pair of shoes for you to wear."

New shoes, too? Yup, I was definitely floating on cloud nine.

Lacey's house was packed with party guests when we arrived, and - I noticed as we stepped inside - packed with guys, too.

I gave Bobbi Sue a very long look. "I thought you said it was just for girls."

"Well, that's what Lacey said. She must've changed her mind."

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I didn't believe her.

The party was loud, but still under control. A DJ worked the sound system in the living room and almost everyone was up dancing. It felt weird to be in such an environment as plain old Miley Stewart. I kept looking around for reporters and celebrities, kept listening for Tracy's nasally voice, kept feeling my hair just to make sure it was still brown. It was.

I have to admit, at first I had a downright fabulous time. The music selection was great, the food was delicious, the guests were chatty and hip. I was on a high, and I didn't come down until Bobbi Sue found me an hour later and pulled me aside.

"So...what do you think?" Her cheeks were glowing, her eyes bright and wide.

"This party totally rocks," I admitted.

"I knew you'd like it. We're so much alike, you and me." She linked her arm through mine and led me into the dining room. "So..." she drawled, "I want you to meet someone."

"Who?"

"Well, he's very nice, and his parents are filthy rich, and he has blond hair." She pushed me toward the back of a tall boy.

"No!" I hissed. "What are you doing!?"

"Don't be shy, Miles. Just smile and laugh at his jokes."

I pried her hand off my arm. "Stop it! Don't you dare try to set me up. I'm dating -"

She shoved me into the boy. He turned around sharply and looked down at me.

I almost fainted dead away.

_Sammy._

"Hey," he said warmly, grinning like a fool. "I saw you over there dancing. I'm Samuel Forster."

I couldn't feel any part of my body. I couldn't speak.

"Yeah, I get that reaction a lot." He combed a hand through his hair. "What's your name?"

All that came out of my mouth was a high-pitched squeak.

"Her name is Miley Stewart," Bobbi Sue said. "She's my cousin."

"Nice to meet you." If his smile got any bigger, I was sure his teeth would fall out. "Hey, Miley, relax. I'm a fun guy to talk to. Listen to this. What do a bicycle, a chicken, and a frog have in common?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was this the same Sammy who had stalked Hannah all over Malibu quoting beautiful lines of Shakespeare? And what was he doing _here_?

"They all have handlebars! Well, except for the frog and the chicken." He laughed at his own joke.

Finally I found my tongue. "That's nice, but please excuse me. I need to use the bathroom." I started to leave.

"What, you don't want know why the bully went to beauty school?" he called after me. "To tease hair!"

I found an empty corner of the house and collapsed. This was a mistake. I never should have come. I should have known Bobbi Sue would do something like this.

"What, you don't like him? I think he's cute." Bobbi Sue squatted down beside me.

I looked up at her with tears in my eyes. "How could you _do _this to me?"

My reaction surprised her. "Do what? I'm just trying to help you. Open your eyes. There are other fish in the sea."

"Well, I don't want anyone else!" I stood up angrily, brushing her away. "Oliver is a great boyfriend, and now because of you I'm here at this stupid party instead of having fun with him. I'm calling my dad to pick me up."

Bobbi Sue sighed. "You're right. You aren't emotionally ready for this yet. It's probably best if you leave."

I didn't know what she meant by that, but I didn't care. "Fine. I will. And Bobbi," I said tightly, "_I'm _sleeping in my bed tonight."

I turned away from her and went to call my dad.

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for all the reviews! Keep 'em coming!

* * *

Part Five

"So...how did that sound?" I asked into my microphone.

Oliver gave me a thumbs up through the glass window. Then he went back to pushing buttons and messing with controls on the computer.

I jumped down from my stool and walked into the sound room. "Whatcha doing?"

He was concentrating very hard. I watched over his shoulder. He was highlighting bars of notes on the screen and clicking random buttons. I had no idea what he was doing.

"Um...Oliver? My dad's gonna freak out if you change everything before he gets back."

"I know. I just had an idea. I can change it back if you don't like it. Want to hear?"

Surprised and a little intrigued, I sat down in a chair and nodded.

He clicked the play button. A completely new sound streamed through the speakers. He had altered some of the very blatant techno parts to give them a more rock and roll feel, and the backup vocals were less layered. As I listened longer I realized my voice had a different quality to it. It was richer, deeper, more sultry.

Folks, I was majorly impressed.

"Wow." I gazed at him, suddenly finding him a thousand times more attractive because he could do something so tasteful and, well..._professional._ "How did you learn how to do that?"

He shrugged, although I could tell he was pleased I liked it. "I've been dabbling with stuff here and there."

"Oliver, we are _so_ using that on the album."

"Really?"

"Mmm-hmm, even if I have to twist Daddy's arm. How'd you get my voice to sound like that?"

"All I did was take off the electronic reverb. That's how your voice really sounds before they make it all pop-ish."

I eyed him admiringly. "You looking for an after school job? 'Cause Hannah definitely wants to hire you."

His whole face lit up. He was so cute when he got excited. "No way! Really?"

"Oliver, that's the best mixing I've ever heard for this song. How come we never discovered you before now?" I slid my chair down to his. "I mean, I always knew you were creative, but that was practically _genius_."

I leaned over and kissed him. My hands came up and slid through his hair and down his chest. A very nice chest, I decided happily. Oliver kissed me with surprising authority, and suddenly I couldn't get enough of him. "You have no idea how hot you are right now," I breathed.

Oliver stood up. He caught me by the waist and pulled me against him. I guess in our haste we must've hit some of the switches on the mixing console, because when my elbow accidentally landed on the play button, it came out freakishly warped.

I jumped back, squealing and covering my ears. Oliver inspected the console. "I'll fix it." He puttered with the switches.

I watched, admired, and tried to cool down. I've always liked kissing Oliver, but _that_ was seriously exhilarating. I was practically shaking.

Oliver took his sweet time restoring the switches to their original state. Then he played the song again. I loved it even more than the first time.

We stood silently for a moment and listened. I wasn't sure if we were really that interested in the song, or if we were just afraid to start kissing again.

Oliver found his voice first. "So how was the party last night?"

I made a face. "Horrible. Bobbi tried to set me up with _Sammy_."

Oliver's eyes widened. "Come again?"

"Yeah, I know. It sounds unbelievable, right? I think Sammy might have taken your little man-to-man talk to heart. His jokes were even lamer than Dad's fruit jokes."

Oliver looked amused. "Man. Even _I _don't take my own advice to heart. What was Sammy doing there?"

"I have no idea, but I'm sure as heck glad I wasn't dressed up like Hannah."

Oliver thought a minute. His eyes darkened. "Wait - didn't Bobbi say the party was just for girls?"

"I know, she totally lied to me."

"And why was she trying to set you up with someone?"

I hesitated. There was no way I could possibly tell him the truth. He'd be hurt and offended if he knew exactly what Bobbi Sue thought of him.

"Who knows why she does anything?" I waved a hand. "It doesn't matter. The point is that I had absolutely no fun without you and I'm never ditching you for Bobbi again."

He seemed satisfied with that answer. He drew me into his arms and brought his head down to mine.

See, this is why Bobbi Sue is gonna have to try a _lot _harder to get me to give up this guy. 'Cause the things he was doing in my mouth were making me completely delirious. I was pretty sure if he had let go of me I would've melted into a pile of dazed nothingness on the floor.

The door to the recording studio swung open. Oliver and I leapt apart.

"Sweet niblets!" Robbie Ray shook his head. He was carrying a sack of sandwiches for lunch. "I can't even leave the room for five minutes. Don't you know this is why I rented a studio with a big glass wall between here and there?" He pointed toward the stool on the other side where I should have been.

I guess he's allowed to be overprotective. I mean, we _did _look pretty guilty.

"You've been gone for twenty minutes, Dad," I reminded him. "If you had come back in five you would've heard what Oliver did to my song." I pushed the play button.

Robbie Ray listened with a critical ear. I watched his face, desperately hoping he would like it. I almost jumped up and hugged him when at last he nodded his approval.

"That's some nice work there, son." He clapped a hand on Oliver's shoulder.

Oliver's grin was a mile wide. "Thanks."

And me, I was feeling pretty good about everything.

Until I got home that night and found Bobbi Sue and Aidan making out on my bed.

"What are you doing!?" I demanded, hands on my hips.

Bobbi Sue pushed Aidan away from her and sat up. We hadn't spoken since the party, and I sure didn't feel like talking to her now. But seeing as she had intruded into my space, it couldn't be helped.

"Aidan, leave us alone for a minute, would you?" She dismissed him without a second glance.

I watched him leave, then glared at her.

"Miley, I know you're mad at me. I have totally overstepped the bounds of our cousin-to-cousin relationship. I had no right to interfere with you and sweet little Ollie." She smiled serenely. "Please accept my deepest, most sincere apology. Can't we be friends again?"

Ugh. I hated it when she did that. She made me feel like a horrible person for holding a grudge.

Well, too bad. I wasn't ready to forgive her yet. I ignored her and went to putter with some papers on my desk.

"If I promise never to say another bad word about him, and never to set you up with another guy again, will you forgive me?" Her voice was sweet and song-like. "I've changed my mind. I think Oliver is a charming young fellow. I've decided to fully support your relationship."

I peered over my shoulder at her, my eyebrows drawn together. What were the chances that she was actually being serious about this?

"I'm not sure if I believe you."

"Well, let me just say, Ollie and I had a little chat this morning when you were getting dressed. We've come to an understanding."

Wait, _what? _Oliver hadn't said anything about talking to Bobbi Sue. "He would have told me if that was true," I said.

She shrugged. "I asked him not to mention it. Here, sit down." She patted the spot next to her.

I was torn between walking away and giving her a second chance. Maybe she _had_ changed her mind. Oliver was pretty likeable once you got to know him.

I sat down.

Bobbi Sue looked pleased. She patted my head. "There we go. Now let's see...you've been dating him for how long?"

"Seven months."

"Wonderful. You've passed the crucial six-month mark. That's when you know you're really getting serious."

I wrinkled a brow. "Uh...okay."

"Take me and Aidan, for example. Before the six-month mark, it was just a wild fling. But after the six-month mark, I knew we were meant to be together forever. It's been almost a year now. I'm almost positive he's about to propose. In fact, I think he's going to pop the question Sunday after we win the championships." She adjusted a curl of hair over her shoulder.

I had no idea what to say. "Congratulations?"

"Thanks, darling." She paused for a moment. "So what do you think? Do you want to marry Oliver?"

My eyes grew very round. "Conniving cousin say _what_?"

She grimaced a little. "You don't want to marry him? That's what I was afraid of."

Oh, she was just full of surprises, wasn't she? "No, I didn't say that. Stop putting words in my mouth."

"So you _do_ want to marry him?"

I was getting annoyed. "This is ridiculous! I'm barely sixteen, Bobbi. How am I supposed to know that right now?"

Bobbi Sue sighed dramatically. "My dearest cousin, you have so much to learn. It's never too early to start thinking about marriage. Especially after the six-month mark. Because really, there's no point in getting too attached to someone you know you could never marry." She smiled. "But I'm sure that's not an issue with you and Ollie. I'm sure you're fully committed to spending the rest of your life with him."

I stared at her like I had no earthly clue what planet she was from. I needed a good dose of Lilly right about now.

I stood up. "Bobbi, your little reverse psychology thing isn't going to work on me. I know exactly what you're doing."

Bobbi Sue feigned surprise. "I'm not doing anything! I'm just trying to help."

"Yeah, well, the only person who needs help around here is _you_."

I went downstairs to find Lilly. She and Jackson were having a discussion at the kitchen table.

"I told you not to lift that much weight," Lilly scolded. She was wrapping an ice pack in a cloth towel.

Jackson's bare foot was propped up on the table and he was breathing pretty hard. "Well, if Gimpy hadn't chewed a hole in my shoe, I would've had extra padding."

Okay, note to self: never eat on that side of the table again.

Lilly held the ice pack on top of his foot. "This wouldn't have happened if you'd been following the exercise regimen I wrote out for you on those sticky notes. I even drew little smiley faces to encourage you."

Jackson pshawed. "That regimen is for wimps. I need a real man's workout."

Lilly shook her head disapprovingly. That was when I noticed she was wearing glasses. _Wearing glasses_? She hated her glasses!

"It's not unusual for a normal man to tire with twelve pound dumbbells after forty repetitions," she said, sounding very scholarly. "And longer reps are good for toning."

Jackson winced as she moved the ice pack. "I don't want to tone. I want to build me some muscle. _Real _muscle."

A moment of silence passed. The look of compassion in Lilly's eyes made my heart catch. "Jackson," she said, "I think your muscles look pretty good the way they are now."

Jackson peered at her out of the corner of his eye, then shrugged the comment off as if he didn't care. How could he not care? That was totally sweet of her.

"Well, I'd better hit the road." Jackson took his foot off the table and stood up. "I'm running a 5K this Saturday and I need to work on my speed. Thanks for the ice, Lil."

"But you shouldn't run with a bad toe. And your shoes don't have enough support in the arch." Lilly watched as he put his tennis shoes back on.

Yup, there was definitely a squirrel sized hole over the toe area.

Lilly grabbed a book off the counter. "You didn't tell me you were running a 5K. Now I have to do some research so you can condition properly."

"I don't need to condition. I just need to go faster. If you want to help, clock me around the block." Jackson tossed her a stop watch.

"But you haven't warmed up yet or done any stretches. Stretching is very important before a race so that your muscles can get all the oxygen they need."

Okay, I'd had just about enough of this nonsense.

"Good Lord, would you listen to the two of you?" I stepped into the kitchen.

Lilly and Jackson looked up at me with very blank, very confused expressions. Did they really not have a clue?

"Both of you are acting like insanely irrational people," I went on. "Stop listening to Bobbi, okay? She gives the worst advice ever. Lilly, ditch the glasses and the books. Jackson, go back to building whatever it is you were building in that tree. If I have to watch another _second _of this pitiful case of mis-identity, I'm going to _lose _my _mind._"

Lilly frowned at me, and Jackson blinked as if he hadn't understood a word I'd said.

"I _like _reading books," Lilly insisted.

Jackson headed for the door. "Clock me every time I pass by the house, okay?"

Lilly followed him. "All right, but if your foot starts hurting, promise you'll stop."

They disappeared out front.

I stared after them, speechless beyond all get out. I _so _needed a slice of Oliver's grandma's chocolate cake right now.

Sunday evening Bobbi Sue came back from the showgrounds with a big, silver horse trophy. Her stunning smile said it all: her team had won the championships. She gloated for an entire hour, and finally, tired of hearing her own voice, she settled down on the couch with a glass of iced tea.

Oliver and I were studying for an American literature exam at the kitchen table. Every time I looked up, Bobbi Sue was watching us. It made me uneasy. What was going on in her little head? What was she scheming this time? At least with Luann I had known what to expect. With Bobbi Sue, I could only wait and wonder.

My only consolation was that she was leaving bright and early tomorrow morning. It was the only thing keeping me sane.

"Miley," Bobbi Sue purred, "Aidan's taking me out to a very expensive restaurant this evening to celebrate."

I didn't look up. "That's nice."

"He gave me roses after the award ceremony. Red roses."

I ignored her.

"So Ollie, do you ever take Miley out to dinner at a nice restaurant?"

Oliver thought a minute. "Well, we tried that once but they kicked us out. We got a little carried away with the straws and the salt shaker."

I laughed. "Oh yeah, remember that waiter with the goatee? We kept asking for more straws and he did that cross-eyed glare thing with his eyes."

"I think he had a glass eye," Oliver said. "That would explain why he didn't duck when I accidentally lost control of my sugar cube launcher."

"Oh, and then we made that really cool castle out of salt, Sweet 'n Low packets, and sliced lemons. I have a picture up on my website. It's gotten lots of hits."

Oliver sighed. "Yup, those were the good old days. We should go back there sometime."

Bobbi Sue turned her nose up. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I need to get ready for my date. My hair's going to take at least a half hour. Have fun doing _homework_." She headed upstairs.

I was pretty sure we'd have more fun tonight than she would.

I didn't speak to Bobbi Sue at all the next morning before I headed off to school. I was through with her. She wasn't the same person I had known back in Tennessee. She was someone I didn't want to be. I couldn't wait to have her out of my life so that everything could go back to normal.

Lilly, Oliver, and I went back to my house after school to hang out. I was in a fantastic mood. I was pretty sure I'd aced my test, Amber and Ashley had slipped on a puddle of milk in the cafeteria and fallen flat on their faces, and Oliver had annouced that he was going to take me back to that nice restaurant for my birthday on Saturday. Yup, life was sweet right now.

I left Lilly and Oliver in the kitchen hunting for snacks and went upstairs to my room. I swung my backpack carelessly onto my bed, then turned to grab a hairbrush.

"Ouch!" someone squeaked.

Chills raced down my spine. I whipped my head around to see who it was and behold, Bobbi Sue was curled up in a ball on my bed. She was wearing fuzzy bunny slippers and her hair was in a messy ponytail.

She rubbed her eyes as she sat up. "Oh, hi." She smiled.

Dang flabbit times ten!

"Bobbi! What are you doing here? Why is your stuff not packed? Why are you not gone?"

She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. "Well, I was thinking, we didn't get to spend much time together this weekend, and it'd be a shame to go home when we haven't finished bonding. So I got my ticket changed to this coming Sunday. Isn't that great? I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner."

I wanted to scream. This couldn't be happening to me. "But…but…you…I…_why_?" I moaned.

"Now Miley, let's let bygones be bygones." She waved a hand. "What's a little misunderstanding between friends? I told you already, I think Oliver is wonderful. Can't we get along and have some fun together like we used to?"

No! No, we couldn't!

"Bobbi, you can't stay here."

"But I already asked Uncle Robbie and he said I could." She smiled at me. "And this way I'll be here for your birthday, too."

Oh, no. Oh, no no no no no. _No_ way was she staying another week.

I left her sitting on my bed and fled from the room.

Dad was in _major _trouble.


	6. Chapter 6

Part Six

"But _Dad,_ she's trying to ruin my life!"

Robbie Ray watched me calmly. He was sitting in a chair in his room with his guitar on his lap. "Now Bud, she ain't tryin' to do no such thing. Bobbi Sue thinks you're sweeter than a cup o' molasses on a stack o' flapjacks."

"If she did, she would stop interfering with everything!"

Robbie gave me a look that suggested I was being a tad overdramatic. "I know you have a hard time gettin' along with your cousins, but I can't keep sending them home every time you get in a little fight."

"This isn't a little fight!" I insisted. "Dad, this can only turn out one way: _badly._ Remember what happened the last time you didn't believe me? I ended up tied and gagged in my closet. _Please _send her home! _Please_!" I got down on my knees and started begging.

"That ain't gonna happen this time, Miles. Bobbie Sue ain't nothin' like her sister."

"You're right. She's worse. She's a thousand times worse!"

Robbie shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry, Bud, but I already told her daddy she could stay. Can't you try to get along with her?"

This was going to be the worst week of my life. "No, I can't! She's turning Lilly and Jackson into people I don't even know, she's trying to break up me and Oliver, she and her boyfriend can't stop making out in my room, and now she's acting like none of that happened and we're best friends forever. What's she gonna do next? Talk you in to sending me off to boarding school?"

I guess my dad finally mustered up some compassion. His expression softened and he patted my cheek. "Bud, you know I would never send you off to boarding school. No matter how many times you forget to do your chores and no matter how many times I have to tell you not to not to walk on my new carpet when your shoes are dirty." He smiled at me. "I believe what you're sayin' about Bobbi Sue, but part of growing up is learning how to deal with people who are hard to love. Will it help if I tell her to sleep downstairs?"

No, not really, but clearly I wasn't going to win this one. "Fine." I crossed my arms.

Robbie leaned back and strummed his guitar. "Now get along. You know I don't like interruptions when I'm songwriting. It slows the creative process. Now I'm gonna have to go get me a slice of cake to get it flowin' again."

He lost himself in his music, and I turned and stormed out. I was practically fuming by the time I reached my room. I walked inside, ready to set some strict ground rules for Bobbi if she insisted on staying –

And stopped abruptly in my tracks. Oliver was in my room, and Bobbi Sue was talking to him.

Oliver turned around. "Hey, Miles. I wondered what was taking you so long. Bobbi said she's staying another week?" His expression said he wasn't too thrilled with the idea.

"Apparently," I muttered, glaring at Bobbi Sue.

She smiled smugly. "Ollie and I were just having a nice little chat, weren't we?" She touched his arm.

Oh, no she didn't. "Bobbi, you better stay away from him."

"I wouldn't hurt a hair on his pretty little head." She patted said head. Oliver looked _very _uncomfortable. "Don't you fret one bit, Miley. Ollie and I are friends now, aren't we?"

Oliver muttered something incoherent and stepped toward me.

"That's all right. You don't have to admit it in front of your girlfriend. But we both know you just agreed to be my friend."

Oliver frowned at her. "I didn't –"

"No use denying it either," she interrupted. "The truth always comes out in the end."

She sat down on my bed and crossed her legs. It occurred to me as an afterthought that she had done it rather seductively. I stole a glance at Oliver. He was looking at me. Good boy.

"So Bobbi," I said rather coldly, "I guess Aidan didn't propose last night, did he?"

Bobbi Sue scoffed. "Oh, him? I broke up with him. I wasn't having any fun anymore."

I wondered fleetingly what had happened to "I knew we were meant to be together forever."

"You sure looked like you were having fun to me," I said.

She sighed deeply. "Well, I might have stayed with him if he hadn't taken me to that terrible restaurant last night. There was a fly swarming around my food, and the waiter couldn't get my order right. It was very simple. All I wanted was the dressing on the side, unless they were serving Iceberg lettuce because it doesn't wilt as quickly as Romaine; shrimp with the skin already peeled off; and wheat noodles instead of regular. They didn't have wheat noodles. Imagine that!"

I started picking up Bobbi Sue's stuff and throwing it into her suitcase.

"What are you doing, sweety?" she asked.

"You're moving downstairs. Daddy said."

She brought a hand to her throat in surprise. "Are you saying you don't want me in your room?"

"Geez, Louise. I think she gets it!" I sat on the suitcase and bounced a little to close the top.

"Oh, honey, please don't do that. I just ironed some of those clothes."

"Fine, then." I stood up. "You can do it. I'll give you one hour to move all your stuff out of my room."

Bobbi Sue opened her mouth as if to argue the point, but then a strange look came into her eyes, and she closed it. I had never seen that look before, but it sent chills rippling down my spine.

"All right," she said softly. "I'll be out of your room in ten. I'm sorry my presence has been so upsetting to you." She started gathering her things together.

I didn't know how to respond. She seemed to be genuinely sorry, and yet she had crossed me one too many times for me to trust her now.

"Come on, Oliver." I guided him toward the door. As I glanced back at Bobbi Sue, I saw that she was watching me. Very intently.

"All I ever wanted was what's best for you," she said.

I shrugged off her words and left the room. I refused to let myself feel guilty about this. She didn't deserve another chance. There was _no_ way we were going to be friends again. Ever.

The next day in school we got our exams back. Ms. Kunkle gave a big, long speech about how _never _in her twelve years of teaching had she ever had a class so incompetent as us. She even likened us to a pack of untrained apes.

"Well, Ms. Stewart," she said, slapping my exam down on my desk. "It appears that you are one of only three students who hasn't made me look completely inept."

I didn't point out that apparently she wasn't any better at teaching literature this year than she'd been at teaching science last year. Instead I looked down at my paper. A big red 'A' was marked across the top.

I jumped up on my chair and did a little dance. "I got an Aaaa…'cause I studied all daaay…that's how you dooo it…there's nothin' tooo it…oh yeah!"

Ms. Kunkle rolled her eyes. "Don't let it go to your head, Stewart. I can easily take away those bonus points I gave you for legible handwriting."

She moved on to Lilly. "Ms. Truscott."

Lilly scrunched her face as she peered nervously up at her teacher. "Yes?"

"It was Hemingway who wrote _The Garden of Eden_, not Moses."

Lilly looked down shamefully. "Oh."

"And Mr. Oken," she said sternly, towering over him. He slid down in his seat. "When I asked for a brief summary of _The Great Gatsby_, I wasn't looking for a drawing of a stick figure on a skateboard."

"That was some of my best work there," he muttered.

"Next time give me some of your best work in complete sentences, hmm?" She dropped his exam in front of him.

He groaned. "Man, a 'D'?"

"I'm afraid so. That's two in a row."

Oliver was not about to give up that easily. He grinned up at her and turned on the Smokin' Oken charm. "So Karen –" He bobbed his head. "Have I told you today what beautiful teeth you have?"

"Still a 'D', Oken."

"But really, were you born with those pearly whites, or have you had some _serious_ dental work?"

"I can easily make that 'D' an 'F'," she threatened. "And then your mom and I will be having a talk."

"The 'D' is exactly what I wanted, thanks." He closed his mouth.

Ms. Kunkle moved down the row. I turned around in my seat and glared at him. "_Oliver_! We studied for _two _hours! How could you make a 'D'?"

"Well, first you were doing that thing when you twirl your finger around in your hair, and then I noticed that your eyes were really pretty, and _then_ Mr. Stewart came down and microwaved some popcorn that smelled really good, and my senses were just overloaded…"

I shook my head. "I can _never_ study with you again."

Ms. Kunkle soon began the lesson, and as always happened when she was teaching, my thoughts began to wander. And what was the first thing that popped into my head? The fact that I made an 'A' on my exam and Oliver made a 'D'.

So what, right? I mean, usually I'm a 'B' student, and usually Oliver can pull off at least a 'C', or better if he likes the subject. It's not like he's a bad student. He's brilliant when he applies himself. He just…has other priorities sometimes.

So if I knew all that, why were Bobbi Sue's words replaying over and over in my mind? _He's not your intellectual equal._ So what? So _what?_ I hated that I couldn't stop thinking about it.

After class I asked Oliver if he wanted to catch a movie that evening.

"Sorry, I can't." He slipped his thumbs through the shoulder pads of his backpack. "I have an orthodontist appointment and then I'm meeting someone for dinner."

My eyebrows shot up. "Cutie boyfriend say _what_?"

"It's no big deal, Miles. I just have to do something."

"Who are you meeting? A friend? A relative? A perfect stranger?" I grabbed his collar and pulled him toward me. "A _girl_?" I growled.

He laughed. "Wow, if this is your reaction when you're suspicious, I hate to see your reaction when I get caught."

"Not funny."

He put an arm around my shoulders and walked me down the hallway. "Miley, Miley, Miley. We've been over this. I know the ladies find me irresistible, but you've got nothing to worry about. I'm only interested in girls who dip carrot sticks into peanut butter and bowl facing backwards."

"Hey. Carrot sticks and peanut butter are delicious."

"Oh, that reminds me." He shrugged off his backpack and dug through it for his video camera. "That dance you were doing on your chair? Do it again."

I gave him a perplexed look. "How did carrots and peanut butter remind you of _that_?"

"Oh, you know." He held up the camera. "I caught you on video the last time you were snacking on that tasty combination."

"So that was _you_ hiding behind Daddy's new ficus!"

He grinned. "One, two, three – and dance!"

I obliged him. And don't laugh. I was still proud of my 'A'.

Lilly's mom drove me and Lilly to Rico's after school. We bought ice cream cones and walked back to my house.

"Lilly," I asked, "do you think Oliver is my intellectual equal?"

She gave me a weird look. "Of course. Why wouldn't he be?"

"I don't know." I licked my ice cream cone. "It's just…we don't usually make the same grades at school."

"So? You never cared about that before." She eyed me accusingly.

"No, I think Oliver's really smart. It's just that Bobbi said –"

Lilly cut me off with a mocking laugh. "_Bobbi_ said that? And you're actually _listening_ to her? You said yourself she gives bad advice."

"Oh, and look who's talking. _You're_ listening to her."

"No, I'm not." Lilly concentrated really hard on her ice cream cone.

"Then how come you joined the chess club?"

"I like chess."

"You don't like chess any more than you like reading and wearing glasses. Lilly, you haven't ridden your skateboard in a week. Do you really think that all this is going to make Jackson notice you?"

"I don't care if Jackson notices me."

I groaned. "You're _impossible._ Why won't you just admit you like him? You're supposed to tell me everything. I'm your best friend!"

"And _you're_ his little sister!" She faced me, her eyes sparkling with tears. "I know this is weird for you!"

I was so surprised I didn't know what to say. Lilly was denying she liked Jackson because of _me_? How was that possible? I stared at her for a long moment, trying to figure out how she could come to the conclusion that I disapproved of such a match.

"Lilly," I said, "you've got it all wrong. I don't care if you like Jackson. I'm okay with it, really I am."

"Then why did you always get so mad at me?"

"Mad at you? I wasn't mad. I was just frustrated because you wouldn't tell me the truth."

"Really?" she squeaked.

"Really, I promise." I stepped forward and threw my arms around her. "I only want you to be happy."

She hugged me tighter.

I couldn't believe that she would deny having feelings for Jackson just to spare me a little bit of weirdness. There would never, ever be another best friend like Lilly. God only knew how much I loved her.

"Miley?"

"Yeah?"

"There's something very cold dribbling down my back."

"Oh!" I jumped back. "Lilly, I'm so sorry!" I turned her around and started wiping the ice cream off her neck and shirt.

She laughed a little, and I knew everything would be okay.

When we got back to my house, Jackson was dribbling a basketball in the kitchen.

I didn't want to know why.

"What are you doing?" Lilly asked.

"Gettin' my game on." He dribbled the ball across the floor and took a shot at the plastic hoop he'd attached to the wall.

"Why couldn't you just practice in the driveway?" I asked.

"'Cause my car is in the way."

"So why didn't you move it?"

"That would've taken too long." He dribbled away from the net, spun around, and took another shot. It bounced off the rim and onto the kitchen table, knocking over a glass of iced tea. It was probably Bobbi Sue's, so I let it sit there.

"It would have taken you longer to move your car than to find a plastic net and hang it up on the wall?" I asked skeptically.

"No, but I'm also out of gas."

Well, that explained it.

"Jackson, shouldn't you be out conditioning for your 5K?" Lilly asked.

"Naw, I decided to try out for the basketball team instead. They're having tryouts this Saturday."

Lilly and I exchanged looks. This was not good. At all.

"Uh, Jackson?"

"Just a second, Miles." He ran up to the net and dunked the ball. As he grabbed the rim, the whole hoop came flying off the wall. Boy, basketball, and hoop went crashing to the floor. Jackson landed on his back with the hoop over his head and the ball on his stomach.

I cringed.

Lilly hurried to free his head from the net.

From somewhere upstairs, Robbie Ray's voice could be heard. "Jackson Rod Stewart!"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"What did you do with my plastic bean bag hoop!?"

Lilly held it up. It was broken in half.

Jackson looked one-hundred percent guilty. "Uh…nothin' Dad. Just givin' it a good polishing. I'll bring it up in a minute, all spiffy and new." He looked from me to Lilly. "Anyone got some crazy glue?"

"I do!" Lilly exclaimed. Then her expression changed and her eyes fell. "Oh, never mind. My mom used the rest of it to glue part of the refrigerator back together."

Jackson groaned. "I guess we'll have to use tape and chewed bubble gum then."

I left them to fix the bean bag hoop and went upstairs to show Dad my American literature exam. Wouldn't he be so proud of me?

Bobbi Sue and I didn't talk much all week. She shopped at the mall all day and partied with her new friends all night. Whenever we did cross paths she was warm and polite. It make me sick that she could pretend there was absolutely nothing wrong between us.

It made me even sicker that I couldn't stay mad at her.

On Thursday morning before school we had a nice conversation. She said she liked my outfit and I said her shoes were rockin'. I started to wonder if maybe she _had_ been trying to help me all along, and I had misinterpreted her intentions as cruel instead of genuine. What did I really know about the world, anyway? Maybe I was blinded by my pride, the pride that refused to acknowledge she was right and I was wrong.

That afternoon Lilly, Oliver, and I went to Rico's. Rico had accidentally ordered an extra shipment of hot dogs, and out of the goodness of his heart – er, scratch that – out of some twisted desire to see people get sick, he had decided to sponsor a hot dog eating contest.

_I _quickly bowed out. I mean, stuffing hot dogs down your throat and getting sick afterwards? Gross. But Lilly and Oliver both signed up to participate.

I sat back to watch. Lilly was at the counter stretching her mouth out so she could fit more in, and Oliver was drawing ketchup and mustard faces on his hot dog buns.

"Hey, Miles, look?" He held one up. Yellow mustard was all over the front, and he had drawn red lips with the ketchup. "This one's Hannah Montana!"

I rolled my eyes.

Rico blew a whistle, and the games began.

I almost couldn't watch. Have you ever seen a hot dog eating contest close up? It's disgusting. The only reason I bothered hanging around was because my two best friends were up there making fools of themselves.

Lilly gave up after five hot dogs. Oliver ate twice that many, and then he got bored and started making more hot dog people. He used every condiment imaginable. Then – oh you won't believe this – he started doing puppet shows with the hot dogs.

When Hannah Montana drowned in a glass of water, I started to question his sanity.

"Lilly?" I asked. "Do you think Oliver is immature?"

"Of course not." She picked between her teeth with a toothpick. "I think I have a piece of hot dog skin stuck up here."

"Lilly, I'm serious!"

"What is wrong with you? You do stuff like that all the time, too."

"I've _never_ made a Hannah Montana hot dog puppet."

Lilly shrugged. "Big deal. It's Oliver. You always think it's funny when he makes a fool of himself, remember?"

She was right. Any other day, and I would've been laughing. So why was this bothering me?

_I just thought you'd be with someone a little more mature._

Why couldn't I get Bobbi Sue out of my mind? Her voice followed me wherever I went. I wished I could just scream and it would go away. I wished _she _would go away.

Oliver's cell phone rang. I watched as he answered it, spoke a few words, and hung up. He left his hot dog masterpieces and came over to me and Lilly.

"Sorry guys, I gotta run," he said.

"To where?" I frowned.

"I have to do something."

I didn't like the look on his face. He looked a little guilty. "You mean the 'something' you've been doing all week that you won't tell me about?" I know I sounded cross, but I couldn't help it.

"Relax, Miles. It's no big deal."

Well, he's wrong. It _is_ a big deal when your boyfriend starts keeping secrets from you. "Who were you talking to on the phone?"

"Just someone."

"Oliver, you have to tell me!" I tried to grab his phone so I could look up the recent calls list.

He held it away from me. "Stop it. Why can't you trust me? I'll tell you when the time is right."

Suddenly a horrible thought hit me. "Oliver! You're not dying of a fatal disease are you?"

"No…" He laughed.

"Your mom's not getting assigned to another country, right?"

"No."

"And your brother's not going to juvenile court because he caught his own hamster with a mouse trap?"

Lilly was laughing now, too. "Geez, Miley. Take a chill pill, okay? Let him do whatever it is he has to do."

"I'll see you at school tomorrow." Oliver kissed the top of my head and left.

I worried all night. Why was I suddenly uneasy about everything? Why was I doubting Oliver and why was I doubting myself?

Bobbi Sue was up reading when I came downstairs in the middle of the night. I ignored her and went to get a glass of milk.

"Can't sleep?" Her bunny slippers padded quietly on the kitchen floor.

I shrugged and sat at the table.

She sat across from me. "Tell me what's bothering you." Her voice was very soft. She reached over and stroked my arm.

I looked at her and wondered at the kindness in her eyes. Surely I was seeing things, because Bobbi Sue was anything but kind.

"It's just…things keep happening that make me think," I said.

"About you and Oliver?"

"Yeah. Like, Oliver got a 'D' on his literature test this week after we spent two hours studying. Then today he was being ridiculously silly making these hot dog puppets."

Bobbi Sue listened patiently.

"And all week he's been disappearing after getting these mysterious phone calls. He won't tell me what he's doing or who he's talking to."

"What do you think that means?" Bobbi Sue asked.

"I don't know. What do _you_ think it means?"

She shrugged ambivalently. "I've decided not to interfere any more with your relationship. You have to figure it out for yourself. You have to decide if this is really what you want." With a smile she stood up and went back to her book.

The next day after school Oliver asked if I wanted to go out somewhere. I was majorly relieved and happy. We hadn't been on a date all week.

We got in his car and started driving. "So where do you want to go?" he asked.

"Hmm…the Putt Putt Fun Center?" I suggested.

He made a face. "I'm not really up for a dunk in the frog fountain again."

"But they have go carts and batting cages."

"And my batting is worse than my putting."

"Aww, come on. It'll be fun." I leaned over and kissed his ear.

"How about we go to the park and play Frisbee?"

I shuddered. "The last time we played Frisbee I ended up with a big red bump on my forehead."

"That was an accident. I won't invite little kids to play with us this time."

"Eh, I don't feel like running."

Silence.

"Well, what do you want to do, then?" Oliver asked.

"I don't know. Maybe we shouldn't do anything."

I hadn't realized what I'd said until it was out of my mouth. In those fateful next moments it hit me like a ten ton freight train. The words came back to me with haunting clarity. _Surely you can see how different you two are. You don't even like the same things._

Oh my gosh. All this time I'd been too stubborn to see it.

Bobbi Sue _was_ right.

* * *

Haha, I know you all hate me right now. Just remember: things always get worse before they get better. Oh, and please review! 


	7. Chapter 7

Part Seven

I tossed and turned for hours.

I tried to convince myself that I was freaking out about nothing, but no matter what I did I couldn't shake the ever-growing conviction that Bobbi Sue was right. I didn't _want_ to believe her, but I couldn't deny that everything she had said about Oliver was coming true. What if we _were_ too different? What if I was blinded by this crazy infatuation for him? If that went away, would there be anything left to keep us together?

I fell in and out of sleep. Time became a blur. My thoughts all jumbled together.

"Well, if you can't get to sleep, you might as well get up and talk to me about it." The light in my bedroom flicked on.

"What?" I shielded my eyes from the light and tried to peer through my fingers to see who was talking.

"Baby girl, you always were an over-analyzer." Mom sat down on my bed. "And that doesn't mix too well with your impulsive streak. You get these crazy ideas in your head all of a sudden and then you worry about them."

My eyes finally adjusted to the light. I looked up at her. "Mom?"

"Glad to know you still remember me." She smiled. "Didn't you want to talk to me?"

Boy, did I ever! I reached for her arms and hugged her tightly. "I've needed you so much this week."

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I? So tell me what's the matter." She stroked my hair.

For a moment I simply drank in her presence. Her scent, her voice, the feel of her arms around me. It wasn't long before I felt an unexplained calmness creeping into my soul.

"Mom, did you ever have doubts that you and Dad were right for each other?"

She thought a minute. "I guess the time he bought me a crawdad fishin' net for our one year anniversary, I wondered if he was the man for me."

I smiled. "Daddy bought you a crawdad net?"

"Mmm-hmm. And then when we were looking for houses, he wanted to buy the one with the built-in fuzeball table, even though it only had one bedroom and the carpet was peeling up at the corners."

"Yeah, that sounds like Dad."

She cradled me in her arms. "But darlin', whenever he looked at me, or put his arms around me, or made me laugh…all that other stuff just disappeared, and I _knew _nothing short of death could take me away from him."

I sighed. She made it sound so simple. I wished Oliver and I could be that simple.

"Are you thinkin' about that sweet, shaggy-haired boy who's crazy about you?" she asked.

"Yeah." I smiled. Thinking about Oliver now made me all tingly inside. "He's pretty great, isn't he?"

"And don't you forget it."

I looked up at her. "Mom, do you think we're right for each other?"

She pshawed. "I've been watchin' you for years, baby girl, and I ain't seen another boy who can make your eyes light up the way Oliver can."

"I know, but…" I hesitated. "We don't make the same grades at school."

Mom ruffled my hair. "Well, let me tell you somethin' about _that_. Your daddy wouldn't do his homework to save his life. I had to twist his arm and threaten to dump him before he'd even think about it. It's a miracle he got through college at all." She shook her head. "But give him a guitar and a sheet of paper, and the world stands back and marvels at what he can do."

See, it didn't seem like such a big deal when she put it like that.

"Okay, but…how come he acts so immature sometimes?"

Mom rolled her eyes. "Boys will always be boys. Even _men_ will always be boys. And let me tell you, there's a big difference between being immature and knowing how to have a good time."

I lifted an eyebrow. "And which category does making hot dog puppets fall into?"

"I don't know. Which category does dancing on your chair after getting an 'A' fall into?"

I elbowed her. "Hey!"

"Come on, tell me you didn't think the Hannah Montana hot dog puppet was funny."

"Well, I guess it was a little," I conceded.

"Good girl."

I sighed against her. "But Mom, last night we couldn't agree on where to go for our date."

She laughed a little. "Honey, no two people are gonna want to do the same thing all the time. You've got to learn to compromise and to appreciate something for no other reason than because _he_ does. Besides," she scoffed, "if this is the first time in seven months you haven't agreed on what to do, I'd say you're _way_ ahead of the game."

Wow. How did moms do it? You came to them all confused and panicked, and then five minutes later you wondered what all the fuss was about in the first place.

I hugged my mom tightly. "So you don't think Oliver and I are too different to be together?"

She didn't speak for a very long moment. "Baby girl, I think this is one of those times when you already know the answer to your question, and don't need anyone to tell you." She rocked me back and forth. "When the time comes you won't have any doubts left in your mind. One way or the other, you'll know."

I closed my eyes and swayed happily against her, relishing in the sweetness of my newfound peace. At length she drew back and looked down at me.

"Let me give you one last piece of advice. Don't listen to that cousin of yours anymore. Just about every time she opens her mouth, she's wrong about something or other."

I smiled at her. "Okay, Mom. I won't."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Mom kissed the top of my head and stood up.

"Don't go," I pleaded.

"I won't, darlin'. I'll always be right here with you." She moved toward my bedroom door and turned out my light.

In the darkness I heard her voice. "Oh, and baby girl?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday."

I smiled into the darkness, laid my head on my pillow, and drifted off to sleep.

Sometime in the early morning, I awoke to the sound of something smacking against my window.

Afraid that Jackson had starting building his tree house again, I got up and swung back the curtains. I looked down and saw Oliver throwing pencils at my window. Or should I say, _a_ pencil. He kept throwing the same one.

I slid the window up. "What in Uncle Earl's name are you doing down there?" I shouted at him.

He looked up at me innocently. "What? Didn't you always want me to do that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, but you're supposed to use pebbles."

"I couldn't find any. But I had half of a pencil in my pocket."

Oh, Oliver. I found myself smiling.

"So…can you let down your hair? I mean…" He cleared his throat. "Your ladder?"

I found my rope ladder and slung it over the window sill. Oliver climbed up.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as he crawled into my room.

"Oh, well I wanted to be the first to wish you happy birthday."

What was I thinking yesterday? This guy is totally perfect for me.

"That's sweet," I said, "but my mom already beat you to it."

He thought a minute. "Okay, then I wanted to be the first one to kiss you."

I made a face. "I sure _hope_ no one else is gonna be kissing me today."

He slid his arms around me and covered my mouth with his.

You know, if he had just kissed me like this yesterday, I wouldn't have cared where in the world we went. I even would've been up for Wally's Burger House. There was just something about the way he touched me and the way his lips brushed against mine that made me completely forget everything but _him_.

And Bobbi Sue could just go fall into a well or something.

Oliver trailed kisses down my neck. "I hope you're not still upset about last night," he breathed.

"Of course not."

"Good."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and drew him closer. My waist burned beneath his hands. He kissed me warmly, deeply, until I was trembling and breathless.

Oliver drew back. "Mmm, sorry." He looked a little dazed himself. "I have to go."

"Why?" I demanded, absurdly hurt that he could contemplate walking away at a time like this.

"Well, I kind of have to drive up to Santa Barbara to see my grandmother."

"_What_!?" I exclaimed. "That could take all day!"

He averted his gaze. "I'm sorry, Miles. She's in the hospital. She got a piece of her chocolate cake stuck down her lungs and they had to do surgery to remove it."

How could this possibly be happening to me? "But it's my birthday! You promised you'd take me back to that restaurant tonight!"

"I know, but my mom's making me go. I don't have a choice. I'm sorry."

There was something about his body language that set warning bells off in my head. What was going on here? Something didn't feel right.

Oliver kissed my forehead. "I'll try and call you later, okay? Maybe if I get back in time tonight we can still go."

I frowned suspiciously. "Oliver, I know something is going on that you're not telling me."

He wouldn't look up. "Nothing's going on. Stop worrying. I'm sorry I have to leave today but I'll make it up to you, I promise."

I wanted to cry. How could he leave town on my birthday? I wanted him here. Now I wasn't going to have any fun. It was going to be the worst birthday ever.

He climbed over the window. "Happy Birthday, Miles."

He disappeared down the side of the house, and I threw myself on my bed and cried.

A while later the distinct scent of bacon wafted into my room. I brushed the hair out of my face and sat up. Maybe some breakfast would make me feel better.

Downstairs Robbie Ray and Jackson were sitting at the table eating bacon and eggs. I stopped in the middle of the kitchen and stared at them.

"_Dad!_"

He looked up. "Oh, hi! Didn't see you there, Bud."

Was he for real? This was my _birthday._

"Dad, where are my pancakes?"

"Pancakes?"

"You know, the pancakes you always make for me on my birthday and bring up to me in bed."

He smacked his head. "Oh, that's right. I'm sure sorry about that. I'll whip some up right now. You just go on upstairs and wait for me."

This was unbelievable. Dad _never_ forgot my birthday. I wanted to cry all over again.

"Hey, Miles, you might want to stay out of your bathroom," Jackson warned.

"Why?"

"Because there might have been a small incident up there involving a cockroach and a can of cockroach spray." He bit into a piece of bacon. "We're still airing it out."

I groaned and plopped down onto the couch. My face landed on one of Bobbi Sue's shirts, and I shoved it into the floor.

"Where's Bobbi?" I asked.

"She disappeared a little while ago," Jackson said.

I sat up, suddenly suspicious. "Where did she go?"

Jackson shrugged. "Don't know, don't care."

The telephone rang, and Robbie answered it. "Lilly in ten," he announced.

Thank goodness, at least I still had my best friend.

I opened the door for her. She rolled in on her skateboard and jumped into my arms. "Happy birthday!" She spun me around, then stepped back. "You look a whole year older!"

I smiled. It was so good to see her on her skateboard again.

"Oooh, bacon!" Lilly rolled into the kitchen and grabbed a piece of bacon off of Jackson's plate.

"Hey!"

"You've had enough," she scolded. "You shouldn't eat too much before your tryouts, or you'll get sick."

"But that piece was perfectly cooked to a tender, juicy crisp!"

"I know, it's really good." She licked her fingers.

"Miley, come get a plate," Robbie called. "Your 'cakes are ready."

Come get a plate? He was supposed to serve me in bed!

I ate my breakfast in a rather grumpy mood, then went upstairs with Lilly.

"So I was thinking," she said, "we could go watch Jackson tryout for the basketball team this morning, and then get some burgers at Wally's for lunch. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

What? No! Why was everyone acting like it wasn't my birthday!?

"Lilly, why would I want to spend the morning watching Jackson try out for the basketball team when we both know he's going to make a complete fool of himself?"

"Because it's a great way to show your school spirit. You know, go team?" She did a little cheer.

"But Lilly, it's my birthday."

"I know. That's why we're going to Wally's after. They serve free cupcakes on your birthday." She made a puppy face. "Please? Can't we go? Pretty please?"

Fine. Whatever. It's not like I was planning on having fun today, anyway.

The gymnasium was packed with tall, buff guys in sweat pants and T-shirts. Lilly and I sat with a small gathering of onlookers on the bleachers to watch. I was already in a bad mood, but having to sit there in a stinky, noisy gym watching guys run around in circles made everything worse.

Jackson's warmup consisted of jumping jacks, running in place, and some strange form of Irish riverdancing. It didn't take a genius to realize that this couldn't possibly end well.

The guys lined up and went through a series of exercises. I had no idea what the point was half the time, but it was very obvious from the start that Jackson couldn't keep up. He missed most of his shots, got knocked over by just about every person on the floor, and about halfway through he was clearly starting to tire. The other players took great pleasure in teasing him about it.

I kept glancing at Lilly throughout the whole event, and as Jackson's performance worsened, so did her enthusiasm. As the end drew near she got very quiet and wouldn't talk to me at all. Her brows were drawn together, her lips tight.

"Lilly, it's okay. You knew he wouldn't make the team."

"I don't care if he makes the team."

"Then what's wrong?"

She wouldn't answer.

The coach put them through a difficult dribbling pattern, and when Jackson's feet got tangled up under him and he tripped and fell, the basketball players erupted into hysterical laughter. Someone called him "shorty" and someone else asked where he'd left his "right foot."

Jackson stood up looking defeated. For the first time in my life, I actually felt sorry for my brother. And angry at Bobbi Sue for making him humiliate himself like this.

I didn't realize that Lilly had gotten up until she was halfway across the gym floor. All I could do at that point was stare stupidly and watch.

"What're you all laughing at, hmm?" she asked, hands on her hips.

The coach frowned at her. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave the floor, Miss."

"Now wait a minute, I wasn't through." She glared at the players."Jackson can do a lot of things that would make most of _you_ fall flat on your face."

They laughed as if such a supposition was ridiculous.

"You don't think so? Jackson is the world record holder for pogo-sticking. Mmm-hmm, that's right. And he can walk around the house on his hands and pick up things with his toes." She got up on her tip-toes and gave one of the major culprets an intimidating Lilly-stare. "He's a _very_ good tree-climber, he rocks at beach volleyball, and he could beat any one of you in a battle against a ninja squirrel any day of the week."

What she said sounded crazy, but no one was laughing anymore. Lilly looked up at Jackson. "So what if he can't play basketball? At least he's not afraid to try new things and have fun doing it." She drew in a breath. "If you all just stopped laughing long enough to get to know him, you'd realize that he's a very special person."

I had a pretty good view of Jackson's face, and let me tell you, he looked down at Lilly as if he was seeing her for the very first time. His eyes were wide, his expression was solemn, and there was no mistaking the fact that he was in awe of her.

"Coach," he drawled, without taking his eyes off Lilly. "I quit."

The coach cleared his throat impatiently. "Thank goodness. Back to work, everyone."

Lilly took Jackson's hand and led him off the court. As they reached the stands, the onlookers started cheering. Everyone likes the underdog, right?

"Hey dude!" someone shouted. "You want to show us a little bit of that hand-walking stuff?"

Jackson looked at Lilly, and she nodded. He got down on his hands and started walking along the sidelines. As he passed Lilly, he caught her hat underneath the toe of his tennis shoe and pulled it off her head. The crowd loved it.

What can I say? He's a natural.

Jackson, Lilly, and I went to Wally's for lunch. Somehow my bad mood had vanished. It was impossible to witness something like that and not be affected. I decided that if my birthday was the fated day that brought my best friend and my brother together, then it might as well be a happy birthday after all.

Needless to say, I was a bit of an odd ball out. Lilly and Jackson kept smiling at each other across the table, and neither of them could spare a minute to acknowledge my presence. So I just sat and watched and enjoyed my chocolate Wally's cupcake.

We got up to leave. Jackson and Lilly were joking around about pickle juice, and thus not paying attention to anything around them. As we headed for the car I spotted someone walking out of the grocery store across the street carrying a bag in each hand.

I froze in my tracks and did a double take. _Oliver?_

The blood drained from my face. What was Oliver doing at a grocery store? He was supposed to be in Santa Barbara with his grandma!

I looked more closely and saw someone in a cute yellow sundress walking beside him, a bouquet of flowers in her dainty hand.

And what the _heck_ was Bobbi Sue doing with him!?

* * *

Now you all better review if you want to find out what's _really_ going on! 


	8. Chapter 8

My dear, dear readers, why have you not learned to trust me by now? You ought to know I never mess with our beloved Miley and Oliver without giving you a very big pay off in the end. Read and enjoy. And then review. ;)

* * *

Part Eight 

"Hey, Miley, what's wrong?" Lilly waved a hand in front of my face.

I snapped out of my death stare. "That boy has some _serious_ explaining to do." I balled my hands into fists and started across the parking lot.

"What boy?" Lilly trailed after me. Then suddenly she let out a little yelp. "Miley, no!"

Both she and Jackson leaped in front of me and grabbed my arms.

"Let go of me!" I struggled against them. Oh yes, I was going to march right over there and demand to know what he was doing in Malibu with my cousin when he was supposed to be in Santa Barbara with his grandma.

"Miley, calm down," Lilly soothed.

"Calm down!? How can I calm down when I just found out my boyfriend is _cheating_ on me!? The little liar! How could he do this to me!? With _her_!" I sprang free.

Jackson grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me over his shoulder. I started kicking, but he didn't put me down. He carried me over to a bench outside Wally's and plopped me onto it.

Lilly caught my hand in hers. "Miley, listen to me, you can't freak out about this."

I was crying now. "But he's _cheating_ on me."

"Oh, would you listen to yourself?" Lilly rubbed my hand. "Oliver is totally into you. I'm sure whatever he's doing he has a perfectly good reason for doing it."

"Easy for you to say." I brushed at my tears with my free hand. "_Your_ boyfriend isn't cheating on you with the devil herself."

"I don't have a boyfriend."

"_So_ not the point."

Lilly sighed. "Miley, you have to learn to trust him. Don't you know anything about Oliver?"

"I know that he's never lied to me before."

"Well, maybe you should talk to him first before you accuse him of anything."

"That's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna go over there right now and force him to tell me the truth." I glared across the street.

Oliver and Bobbi were getting into his car. _Getting into his car!?_ I jumped up. Jackson pushed me back down.

"You're not going anywhere like this," Lilly said. "Why don't you come home with me for a little while and cool down."

"But what are they doing? Where are they going? Oh my gosh, what if they end up in the back row of a movie theater making out?"

"Geez, you have quite the imagination there," Lilly said. "I think the sun will probably burn out before that happens."

"Up you go, Miles," Jackson said. "Let's get you to Lilly's."

I spent the next two hours curled up in a ball on Lilly's bed. I couldn't stop thinking about Oliver and Bobbi Sue. I imagined all sorts of things they were doing together and it drove me crazy. I tried to call Oliver three times before Lilly finally stole my cell phone and hid it.

I didn't understand how she could be so calm. She should've been freaking out with me, sending Oliver hateful text messages, helping me devise some ingenious plan to get them both back for betraying me. But she just sat there humming and braiding her hair like some love-struck fool.

It made me sick.

Finally Lilly announced that she was hungry. "Let's go see if your Dad cooked up anything good for dinner."

"I'm not hungry."

She made me go anyway. We walked back to my house, and with each step I felt the world heaving under my feet. No one loved me anymore. My dad forgot to bring me pancakes in bed, my boyfriend cheated on me, my best friend didn't care that this was the worst day of my life, and Jackson didn't even say "happy birthday."

Lilly pushed me ahead of her toward the back door. I wasn't even looking where I was going. I just plowed right through, intending to head straight upstairs to my room.

Lilly jerked me backwards, and that was when I realized that the entire house was filled with people.

"Surprise!" They shouted in unison.

My jaw? Totally dropped to the floor. No way! A _surprise_ party? Tell me I wasn't the only one who didn't see _that_ coming!

My dad walked up to me and enveloped me in a giant hug. "Happy birthday, Bud."

I hugged him tighter than I'd ever hugged him before. I felt my eyes burning with tears. The relief was overwhelming.

"You all right?" Robbie held me at arm's length.

I nodded. "I just…you…everyone…"

Wow. Talk about an emotional roller coaster.

"Miles?" Oliver stepped up to me with a smile that lit his whole face. "Now that you know the truth, you forgive me for the grandma story, right?"

Okay, I know I was supposed to be raving mad at him for running off with Bobbi Sue, but at that moment, more than anything else, I just wanted reassurance that he still felt something for me. The explanations could wait. All I wanted was a word or a look or _something _so that I'd know he was still mine.

I lifted my eyes to his. In a moment he seemed to understand. He opened his arms wide and drew me into a long, gentle embrace.

I could have stayed there forever. He was so strong, and it felt so right, and I was afraid the moment I stepped back I would doubt again. So I stayed in his arms until finally he pulled away.

Jackson rolled through the living room on roller blades with a tray of appetizers in his hand. "All right, enough huggy-huggy. Let's eat! I've been smellin' these babies for two hours!"

All my friends swarmed around me to wish me happy birthday. It was all a blur. The only thing I remembered was that a half hour in, I was practically giddy with happiness. It's really amazing how a fantastic ending to a day can completely erase all the bad things that happened before it.

Or at least, that's what I thought when I was stuffing pizza and mozzarella sticks down my throat.

After dinner and presents the party moved outside into the clear, cool night. Some of the guests started up a volleyball game, and others hung around in little circles talking. Lilly found me after a while and hugged me again.

"We didn't mean for you to see Oliver and Bobbi in the parking lot," she said apologetically. "I wasn't paying attention. I'm sorry you had to freak out for so long."

"Where _is_ Bobbi Sue anyway?" I asked. Not that I wanted to see her or anything, but it's always good to know the whereabouts of your number one enemy.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her since we got here." Lilly squeezed my arm. "Oh! Oliver's turning up the music. Do you think Jackson will ask me to dance?"

I rolled my eyes. "The last time Jackson danced, people threw coins at him because they thought he was a homeless person."

"So what?" She lifted her chin. "You don't think I can dance like a homeless person, too?" She did her best impression, and I laughed.

"Lilly, I think you're the only person in the world who has the ability to make Jackson's dancing look good."

Lilly frowned at me. "Is that a compliment? Because if it's not, I'm returning your birthday gift."

Oliver walked up to us and interrupted. "Mind if I take this beautiful birthday girl for a spin around the backyard?"

I glanced up at him. He really did look wonderful tonight. Especially when he smiled.

"Miles?" He held out his hand.

Oh, crap. I can't resist him.

We danced for a while in silence, and then finally I could bear it no longer. I had to know what was going on. "Oliver, why were you and Bobbi at the grocery store this afternoon?"

He twirled me under his arm. "Well, we got everything all set up and then we realized we'd forgotten the vanilla ice cream. You know, to go with the chocolate cake. Did I tell you? I got my grandma to bake you a triple-layer chocolate cake. Wait till you see it! My mouth's been watering all day."

I didn't like the way he'd said "we." It made me a little queasy.

"So it was you and Bobbi who planned my birthday party, then?" I asked.

"Yeah. We've been working on it all week. I didn't want her to help at first, but then she had all these great ideas and I knew you liked her style, so I figured 'what the heck', I can put up with her for a week, right?"

Was he trying to make me feel better about this? Because it wasn't working. All I could think about were all the times she had called him and all the hours he had spent with her. Did they have _fun_ together? Did she flirt with him? I mean, yeah, the decorations were classy and colorful, the food was delicious, and all the guests were having a blast. But I didn't care about that. It hurt to think Oliver had ditched me all those times for _her._

"Miles, don't let it get to you, okay?" He held me close. "I'm sorry I lied to you. I only did it because I wanted you to have the best birthday surprise ever."

He sounded so sincere, it was hard not to believe him. I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes.

What was the big deal anyway? I didn't want to be one of those controlling, jealous girlfriends who never lets her boyfriend ever hang out with another girl. And probably if it had been anyone but Bobbi Sue, I wouldn't have cared at all. But that's just the point. It _was_ Bobbi Sue.

When I opened my eyes I noticed that Jackson and Lilly were dragging a big table out onto the grass.

"It's time for SpongeBob Uno!" Jackson hollered.

"SpongeBob Uno with a twist!" Lilly said. "Every time you play a wild card you have to pick up a card from this stack and act out whatever wild animal is on the back."

I rolled my eyes at Oliver. "Tell me SpongeBob Uno wasn't your idea."

"Are you kidding me? SpongeBob Uno rocks!" He took my hand. "Let's go play."

I have to admit, as the game progressed, I found it hard to stay mad at anyone. It really was a fantastic party, and if Bobbi Sue had been far away in Tennessee, I would have been in love with everything and everyone around me. I know Oliver lied, but throwing me a surprise party? Totally sweet of him.

Where _was _Bobbi Sue anyway?

About an hour into the game – and yes, SpongeBob Uno is the game that never ends – Oliver leaned over and handed me his stack of cards. It was a very big stack.

"Could you play a couple rounds for me? I'm gonna go get another piece of pizza."

"Sure."

He hadn't been gone for more than two minutes when I got a horrible sneaking suspicion. Forgetting about the game, I put my cards down and went after him.

I walked up onto the porch and put my hand on the doorknob. I was about to open it when I noticed movement in the kitchen. I watched with wide eyes as Bobbi Sue grabbed a handful of Oliver's shirt and leaned forward to kiss him.

I turned and fled. I couldn't watch. It was like someone had reached in with both hands and twisted my heart in two. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but run. I ran through the backyard and down to the beach, and didn't stop running until at last I collapsed breathlessly onto the sand.

All my fears had come true. Somehow a week with Bobbi Sue had erased five years of a beautiful friendship. She had replaced me. She had won. If she'd set out to ruin my life, she had succeeded.

I sat there on the sand crying until there were no tears left to cry. It seemed like hours that I sat in that empty stillness, listening to the waves breaking and the voices of people drifting down the beach.

Then I heard footsteps behind me.

"Miley?"

I brushed the tears from my cheeks. "Go away." I _so_ did not want to talk to him right now. Or ever.

"Miley, what's wrong?" Oliver crouched in front of me.

Oh, like he didn't know. "I said, _go away_."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong."

I glared up at him. "Fine! You want to do this now? I think we should break up."

It was dark, but I still saw the horror flash across his face. "_What?_"

"You heard me."

"No, Miley…_why_?" He sounded completely devastated, but I refused to let that bother me. _I _wasn't the one caught kissing someone else's evil cousin.

"There are hundreds of reasons, Oliver!" I stood up angrily. "Figure it out for yourself!"

I spun away from him and started walking. He followed me.

"Miles, I'm sorry I lied to you. I just…I wanted to surprise you. I thought it would be cool if you didn't expect me to be there and then suddenly I was. Please don't be mad at me."

Did he _really_ think that was why I was upset?

"Oliver, it's over, okay. Just leave me alone."

"No."

I walked faster. New tears flowed steadily down my face. "Stop following me! I don't want to talk to you."

"Miley, please don't do this." He was hot on my heels. "I'll make it up to you. I'll do anything. I'm _sorry_."

"Good grief!" I cried. "Why can't you just accept that it's over and leave me alone?"

"Because I love you!"

I froze in my tracks. In a single, fleeting moment, my whole world shifted. Something deep inside me cracked, something so real and powerful that I almost couldn't bear to feel it. The words he had spoken…I had never heard anything so beautiful in my entire life.

I turned and faced him, almost afraid to speak lest it shatter the moment. "Then why did you kiss her?" I whispered.

He looked confused. "What?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about."

"Wait…you saw that?"

"Of course I saw that! Why do you think I'm crying?"

His expression softened, and he reached out to touch me. "Miley, I didn't kiss her."

"Don't lie to me! I was standing right there!" I drew away from him.

"For how long?" he challenged. "Because if you'd been there for more than half a second, you would've seen me push her away! Miles, I don't like her, not even a little. She's bossy and judgmental and a complete bore to listen to. I only put up with her because I wanted your birthday to be special." He touched my cheek. "How could you think I would ever want to kiss anyone but you?"

The look on his face was so earnest, it was impossible not to believe him. "You pushed her away?" I squeaked.

He laughed a little. "Right into your chocolate cake, too. I hope you didn't want any."

The thought of Bobbi Sue covered in chocolate cake made me smile. She was probably in the bathroom crying right now.

"And you _really_ don't like her?"

"Not at all!" He shuddered at the thought. "Miles, you want to know the very first thing she ever said to me? She said if I didn't dress nicer and cut my hair and start taking you out to fancy restaurants, I would lose you."

"Boy, that's crazy talk! Don't you ever let her anywhere near your head with a pair of clippers!"

"Well, I was _this_ close to taking her advice. But you know why I didn't?"

"Why?"

"Because when we were at the studio last week, you liked my ideas. You thought I was creative. You saw me differently than everyone else sees me. Miley –" He slid his arms around my waist. "You're the only girl I've ever met who makes me want to be myself."

I don't know what it was exactly – his voice, his touch, the look in his eyes – but folks, they don't come any sweeter than that.

"Wow, Oliver," I said. "You're really good at this."

He raised an eyebrow. "Good enough that you're not going to do anything stupid like breaking up with me?"

I smiled. "Oh, definitely."

When we finally returned to my house it was late, and almost all of the guests were gone. Lilly and Jackson and my dad were cleaning up the backyard. Oliver took my hand and led me inside. "Hey, I want to show you something."

He made me sit down on the couch and turned out the lights. Then he puttered with something on the coffee table and suddenly the TV flicked on.

An image popped up on the screen. It was video footage of me yapping into the camera on our eighth grade camping trip. I glanced curiously at Oliver.

"Keep watching," he insisted.

One by one the memories flashed before my eyes. Dress rehearsals for the school play in sixth grade when I won the coveted role of the giant bean stalk. The beach party one summer when I braided my hair and stuck wires into it so I'd look like Pippy Longstocking. My fourteenth birthday when I wore that hideous kitty sweater. The burning ceremony of the hideous kitty sweater. Our principal's last day of school. The time the Cracker dressed me up like a salad in the cafeteria. Me eating carrots and peanut butter. Me drawing myself a moustache with Oliver's grandma's chocolate cake. My American literature "I got an 'Aaaa'" dance. Lilly was in there, Daddy and Jackson were in there. Oliver was in there. Everyone and every memory that meant something to me was on that video.

I didn't realize I was crying until the screen went fuzzy. I looked over at Oliver and found him watching me expectantly.

Mom said I would know when the time came, that I wouldn't have any doubts. I couldn't possibly know what the future would hold, but one thing I did know: there never was and never would be another Oliver.

For the longest moment neither of us spoke. Then I leaned over and touched his arm.

"Oliver?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

He drew me into his arms and kissed me as he never had before. Boldly, fervently, like a young man exploring love for the first time. His mouth was warm and sweet and his hands slid over my back with surprising strength. It was unbelievably mind-blowing. All I could do was shiver under his touch and wonder what I had ever done to deserve this. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life and I wished I could live it over again a thousand more times.

"Miles," he whispered against my lips, "does this mean you liked the video?"

"It was perfect." I touched his brow, slid my hand down his cheek.

He gazed at me for a long moment, then drew me back to him, kissing me hungrily.

Bobbi Sue stormed in through the back door, slammed it behind her, and marched straight up the stairs.

I pulled away from Oliver. "I have to talk to her."

"No…" He kissed along my jaw.

"I'll come back, silly. I just have to sink my teeth into her first."

"Oh, all right."

I found Bobbi Sue in the bathroom. She was still trying to get the chocolate out of her hair.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"I want to know what little trick you thought you were going to pull with my boyfriend."

She cast me a pointed gaze through the mirror. "What do _you_ think I was doing?"

"The same thing you've been trying to do since you stepped foot in my house. Break us up."

She looked away.

"But see, no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't do it. Because I'm not stupid enough to listen to you anymore, and Oliver isn't stupid enough to fall for your wily ways." I crossed my arms. "You're lucky he only pushed you into my cake. _I _would have pushed you into something a lot less cushiony."

Bobbi Sue pursed her lips together. "For some reason you still choose to willfully accuse me of meddling in your life. I'm sorry you refuse to see that I'm only trying to help."

"Oh, put a cork in it. We both know you've been trying to destroy my relationship with Oliver. My only question is…_why_?"

I saw something in Bobbi Sue's eyes that I had never seen before, and suddenly I realized that I already knew the answer. She would never admit to the truth, but she was jealous. Crazily, insanely jealous. From the very start she had seen what Oliver and I had, and had coveted it. She had never had a relationship as meaningful as ours, and if she couldn't have it, then we couldn't have it, either.

"That's the only reason you stayed an extra week, isn't it?" I asked. "To try one more tactic. To see if you could get Oliver to cheat on me. And when he didn't, you decided the only thing left to do was to try and kiss him in front of me."

Bobbi Sue picked up her hairbrush and brushed her hair. "If you're waiting for a confession," she said calmly, "you're not going to get one."

"That's okay." I smiled at her. "Because tomorrow morning you're getting on a plane, and I'm going to be happier than I've ever been before because I know Oliver loves me. But you…you'll still be just as miserable as you were the day you got here."

I didn't wait to see the look on her face. I turned and left.

Downstairs Oliver was rummaging through the DVD collection. "Want to watch a movie?" he asked.

"Sure! You pick, and I'll pop us some popcorn."

I opened the cabinet and looked for the popcorn. I couldn't find any, so I looked in all the drawers and on all the shelves. I knew Daddy had just bought a new box, so there was only one other explanation.

I groaned. "_Jackson_."

"What's wrong?" Oliver asked.

"He hid the popcorn again."

"Why would he hide the popcorn?"

"Because he's using it as squirrel bait."

Oliver looked confused. "Do squirrels like popcorn?"

"How should I know?"

"I thought he and Gimpy were getting along."

"They are…sort of."

"Then why –"

"I have _no_ idea. Hang tight, let me go ask him where it is."

I slipped out the back door and started across the yard. I was about to call out Jackson's name when I spotted him and Lilly over by the tree house.

Lilly was sitting on a wooden swing that hung from a tree branch, and Jackson was standing next to her. They were talking quietly.

"I'm glad you decided to finish the tree house," Lilly said.

"Well, I'm a lot better with a two-by-four than a basketball."

_Sure_ he is.

"I like this swing." Lilly's feet dangled just above the ground. "It's very swingy."

"I know." Jackson puffed his chest out. "I'm even _better_ with rope."

"No, you're not," Lilly argued. "The last time you tried to make something with a piece of rope you ended up tying yourself to the top of your car and I had to go hunting for scissors so I could cut you down. I got _three_ scratches on my arm from digging through the craft box, and –"

Jackson took her face in his hands and kissed her. Her eyes grew big and round with surprise, but then as he pulled her off the swing and into his arms she relaxed, and her eyes fluttered closed.

I nearly squealed with delight. I mean, that's so not the reaction I thought I would have, but I couldn't help myself. They were adorable.

At length Jackson drew back. He looked down at Lilly, then took her right hand in his and held her against his chest. They rocked back and forth in a slow, sweet dance.

I watched them a moment longer and then, feeling like I was intruding on something very private, I turned around and tip-toed back to the house.

"So where did he hide the popcorn?" Oliver asked as I came in through the door.

"Oh, forget the popcorn." I grabbed the remote control from Oliver's hand and turned off the TV. "It's not like we were going to watch the movie anyway."

Oliver caught me by the waist and pulled me onto the couch. "Mmm, I like the way you think."

Yup, and I bet he was going to like the way I was about to kiss him, too.

The End.


End file.
